


The Steepening

by Flyingflapjack



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: ...But Then Very Right..., Bakery and Coffee Shop, Ben the Coffee Snob(TM), Cast includes:, Cracky Coffee Shop AU, Dominant Ben Solo, Drama & Romance, F/M, Finn the Police Officer(TM), Fluff and Crack, Fluff and Humor, Get ready for a wild ride, Hair Braiding, Hux the Angry Barista(TM), I REGRET NOTHING, It gets chaotic rel quick, Lots of it, Oh, Poe the Shit Disturber, Praise Kink, Rey the Tea Drinker(TM), Rose the Peacekeeper, Size Difference, Size Kink, Teasing, They're very passionate about hot beverages, This fic is chaos, Vaginal Fingering, Vaginal Sex, Very Wrong..., absolute chaos, also smut, blind date gone wrong
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-09
Updated: 2020-04-03
Packaged: 2021-03-01 01:55:27
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 25,126
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23077405
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Flyingflapjack/pseuds/Flyingflapjack
Summary: When Rose and Poe set tea-obsessed Rey up with a blind date, she sure doesn't expect Ben; a tall, hulking man with nicer hair than her, and a smile that makes her weak in the knees.He's gorgeous, and everything seems too good to be true. She soon finds out that it absolutely is--because Ben, as it turns out, is a coffee drinker.And that's a deal breaker.(AKA: The Coffee Drinker VS. Tea Drinker AU nobody asked for, but I wrote anyways.)
Relationships: Finn/Rose Tico, Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 55
Kudos: 258





	1. Part I: A Brewed Awakening

**Author's Note:**

> This is an absolute soap opera of a fic, and I sincerely hope you have as much fun reading it as I did writing it. 
> 
> A super huge thank you to [LauraNightingale](https://archiveofourown.org/works/22460983/chapters/53669302), who beta'd this glorious mess of a fic, and created this stunning moodboard for it! Thanks for taking time out of your day to help me bring this chaos into the world.
> 
> Without further ado, The Steepening!

The crisp, tinkling of bells atop the door to First Orders ring pleasantly through Rey’s ears, carrying an optimism for the day that she doesn’t share. _At all._ Stepping inside the local café, she holds the door for her friend Rose, who is smiling with so much enthusiasm Rey thinks she’ll be sick.

“It’s gonna be fine. Promise!” Rose reassures, patting her friend on the shoulder as she walks over to the counter to order her drink.

Rey sighs deeply, still unsure as to why she agreed to this in the first place. Slowly making her way over to the front counter, she wonders if the blind date will even show up this time.

She’d been burned before.

“What can I get for you?” The somewhat-stoic barista asks, eyes expectant as Rey quickly scans the menu, letting a slow stream of air escape through her lips.

She’d been lost in her own thoughts, and as per usual, she’d forgotten to decide on a drink before she reached the front counter.

_Why am I like this? Just. Why._

“Ummmm, sorry, just a tick.” She taps a finger to her lips while scanning the menu, and Rose chuckles beside her, elbowing her ribs softly.

“Just get your usual. You do this every time, and every time you end up getting the same thing.” Rose shakes her head when Rey shoots her a look, tight lipped, and brows furrowed.

“I don’t—” She pauses then, tilting her head before chuckling loudly. “Oh, god, you’re right. I really do.” She looks back to the barista, who is waiting patiently, clearly amused.

“So, what’ll it be?” He repeats, and Rey is relieved he isn’t fussy that she’s taken a while to decide.

“Just a cinnamon chai latte, with two tea bags and extra foam, please!” She says with a bright smile, handing the barista—Hux, she sees scrawled across his name tag—a ten dollar bill. “Keep the change! You earned it for dealing with my indecisiveness.”

Hux smiles, thanking her, before sending the girls off to the waiting area.

“So, how are you feeling about this double date?” Rose asks, waggling her eyebrows. She knows full-well how Rey is feeling about the date, but she wants to hear it from her friend.

“Are you seriously asking me this right now?”

“Yes. I’m a nosy bitch, and you owe me some tea.” Rose grins, prompting Rey to roll her eyes at her best friend’s antics.

“Honestly, I don’t know how you talked me into this,” Rey shakes her head. “This is terrifying, and the only reason I agreed to go on a date with a _complete stranger_ is that you and Poe would be here to run interference.” Rey frowns, biting at her bottom lip.

She feels the nervousness twisting and coiling tightly in her gut, and she really hopes that this guy is better than the last one Rose tried to set her up with.

“Oh, don’t give me that pout. I think this one’s different, Rey! Poe even vouched for him, and you know how protective he is of you.” Rose tilts her head at her friend, eyebrows raised.

Rey lets out a long breath, nodding her head. If one thought meeting someone’s dad, or older brother was intimidating; meeting Poe was like a nightmare come alive.

He might only be 5’9, but the man could be the most intimidating thing she’d ever seen. He had literal _lists_ of questions for every time Rey even thought about dating someone, and though it drove her absolutely bonkers, she was glad for it.

Well, except maybe the time he scared off that one guy by waiting in her apartment; shirtless, with two hatchets strapped to his chest, hands busy polishing his hunting rifle. She chuckles, remembering the way the man—she can’t even remember his name—paled when Poe made a joke about how he’d just buried the last one she’d brought home.

 _That_ had been a bit too far. Amusing, absolutely. But still too far.

However, if Poe already vouched for the guy…maybe this wouldn’t be so bad after all.

“I guess I should be more positive about this,” Rey mutters, shooting Rose an apologetic smile. “If Poe already gave him the stamp of approval, I might actually get laid for once!” Her spirits perk, then.

“That’s the spirit, Rey-Rey!” Rose grins, nodding towards the coffee counter where the barista carries their respective drinks.

“Chai latte, two bags, extra foam for Rey, and a café au lait for Rose?” The barista shouts, sliding the hot drinks across the counter, and into their waiting hands.

Rose leans over, and inhales deeply through her nose. “Oooh, yours smells _amazing._ ”

“Well, _duh._ It’s tea. Tea always smells amazing.” Rey closes her eyes, taking her own deep breath, sighing contentedly as the spicy aroma fills her nostrils, before frowning at her friend’s drink.

“I don’t know how you drink that rubbish. It tastes like…like… _awful_ , that’s what it tastes like.” She shudders, and Rose scoffs at her dramatics.

“First of all, I only like my coffee when it’s mostly cream and sugar.” She pauses, taking a sip of her café au lait for effect. “Secondly, your statement is absolutely false, ma’am. Have you ever had chaga mushroom tea?” Rose grimaces, and Rey scrunches her nose.

“That sounds like an absolute disgrace.” She says, and Rose nods solemnly.

“ _It is._ My parents used to make me drink it. Tasted like someone tried to make tea out of garbage.” Rose fakes a gag, and Rey chuckles as they begin searching for the closest empty table.

“You poor soul.” Rey mutters, taking a long sip of her too-hot tea. It nearly burns her tongue, but that’s exactly how she likes it.

Finally finding a table, they quickly claim it, and Rose pulls out her phone. With a pleased squeak, she glances at Rey with a wry grin.

“Poe says they’re on their way in.” She sings gleefully. But the young woman watches in horror as Rey turns to look at the door, and she quickly grabs her friend’s arm, and Rey frowns as Rose pulls her attention back to her.

“What are you, _new?_ You can’t look! You gotta act natural, Rey!”

Rey rolls her eyes at this. “I’ll bloody well look if I want to!” And then, she does.

And this mystery fellow is not what she expects—not at all.

 _But in the best way_.

Poe is frowning—not a good sign—but she’ll allow it if it means she gets to go on a double date with this absolute behemoth of a man. Her eyes rove over him; at least six feet tall, in a black leather jacket, with a red flannel shirt, and dark wash jeans that fit him just right. Her eyes slide back to his face, and she just about gets lost in his dark eyes, his thick hair, his everything.

_Oh god, he has nicer hair than me._

She finds that she doesn’t mind too much, so long as he lets her play with it. She shakes her head, whipping back around to see Rose—smug as hell—grinning maniacally over the rim of her mug.

“You. Are. _Welcome_.” She whispers, and Rey gulps, feeling heat pool in her stomach as the boys walk over to the counter to order their drinks.

_Please be a tea drinker._

_Please be a tea drinker._

_Please be a tea drinker._

_Please be a—_

“Yeah, I’ll have two shots of ristretto, black. Ah, and both in one cup, please.”

Her heart flutters when she hears his voice, and she bites her lower lip to suppress a moan. It’s sinful—all deep, throaty, smooth, and oh _god_ , if it wasn’t making her we— _wait_.

_What the hell is a ristretto?_

She glances over, panic squeezing her lungs while she watches in horror as the barista hands him his drink with practiced ease.

“Ristretto, black?” Her blind date takes the drink, and the barista chuffs a laugh. “Wow. You must really love your coffee to be able to stomach this stuff.”

_Goddamnit._

_Of course he’s a fucking coffee drinker._

Deflating, she turns back to Rose, who is silently sipping from her cup, eyes staring intently at an ornate clock hung on the wall. Rey narrows her eyes.

“You knew, didn’t you?” She accuses, pointing a finger at her friend. Rose rolls her eyes with a scoff, before tucking a strand of black hair behind her ear.

“Rey, _really_. You’re not seriously going to say no based on his drink choice?” She shoots her friend an incredulous look, shaking her head when Rey shrugs in response.

“Come on, girl! Look at him—he’s fine as _hell!_ Don’t choose now to go all tea-elitist on our asses.” Rose pleads, and Rey’s eyes slide back to the man, who is scowling at Poe as the shorter man collects his drink.

She bites her lip, letting her eyes rove up and down his figure. God, if he isn’t the sexiest thing she’s ever seen—and so _big_. She feels a flutter in her stomach.

“…Rey?”

She decides she likes his nose; big and imposing on his face but in a way that only enhances his other features, like his warm, dark eyes, and his larger-than-normal ears that poke out from underneath his hair.

She smiles, tilting her head; he isn’t your usual standard of attractive, but good lord, somehow his look just works for him.

Her eyes widen when she catches how he just about dwarfs the coffee cup with his hand. Her throat goes dry, and she quickly takes another sip of her tea.

_I bet his hands could nearly wrap all the way around my hips._

“ _Rey._ ” Rose sighs noisily.

_Fuck._

“ _Good god, woman!_ Stop ogling the man, and act like a normal human, please!” Rose hisses, snapping Rey from her daze. With an embarrassed flush, she frowns, taking another long sip of her tea.

“Sorry, Rose. Not sure what got into me, there.”

Rose snickers. “Pretty sure I know what you _want_ in you, though.”

“ _Rose._ ”

“Well, I’m not wrong— _oooh,_ here they come!”

Rey turns to look then, and Poe grins widely, subtly pointing to the gorgeous man following him. Rey giggles when his eyes go wide, and he shoots her the look, and Rey shakes her head, eyes sliding to the tall, dark, and handsome man approaching the table.

“And how are my two chickens, today?” Poe says, leaning over to ruffle Rey’s hair, before sitting down across from Rose, and setting his drink on the table. Rey wrinkles her nose when she catches a whiff of it. It’s not terrible, but there’s something…something not right about it.

Hearing the chair across from her noisily scoot along the floor, she turns her attention to her date, who is setting his…ugh, his _drink_ —if you can call it that—on the table.

“Alrighty, time to get the intros out of the way,” Poe clasps his hands together, an excited gleam in his eye as it catches her own. “Rose, Rey, meet Ben Solo. He’s a good friend of mine, and though he can be a little gruff, I think you two will get along just swimmingly.” 

Rey smiles widely, reaching a hand out across the table. “Nice to meet you, Ben!” Her hand floats in midair, waiting for Ben to reciprocate; but he’s too caught up with staring daggers at Poe’s drink to notice. Slowly, she drops her hand.

Scoffing loudly, Ben raises his eyebrows, shaking his head in disbelief.

“Poe, I think you need to re-evaluate your life choices.” His eyes shift down to his drink, and he lifts it to his nose, inhaling deeply before taking a sip.

Rey hyper-focuses on his lips, and she imagines what they’d feel like on her own; would they be domineering, or soft? Her lips lift in a subtle smile. She wonder what they’d taste like. She grimaces, then. They’d probably taste of that god awful sludge in his cup—

“It’s impolite to stare you know…but I’ll let it pass, just this once.” His lips curve up in an amused smile, and Rey feels the familiar heat of a blush spread across her face, her eyebrows creasing

“Well, ignoring one’s attempt at a handshake isn’t polite either, just so you know,” She shrugs, eliciting a warning glance from Rose as she takes another delicious, warming sip of her chai tea. “I suppose that makes us even.”

Ben chuckles, his roguish grin turning Rey’s knees to jelly. She looks over at Poe, who is holding his mug to his lips, nodding subtly before putting the cup down. Rey wrinkles her nose, the strange scent wafting past her nose again.

“What did you get to drink, Poe? It smells… _odd_.”

Rose freezes then, shooting Poe an accusatory look. “You did _not_ get what I think you got.” Poe laughs mischievously at her concern, grinning widely.

“Oh, Rosie. You know I had to.” He takes another sip then, and Ben shudders with disgust.

“That drink is an absolute travesty, and they should’ve refused to brew it for you.” Ben states, his face twisted in a way that makes him look a little constipated—but still somehow absolutely mouth-watering.

_Bloody hell, I really need to get laid._

“Well? Out with it, what did you get?” Rey prompts, regarding the brown-ish liquid in the cup with distaste. It smelled acidic, and bitter, but somehow fragrant at the same time? It was almost like…she gasps in horror, and Rose groans, her face falling into her hands.

“I don’t get what the big deal is, I just got half coffee, half black tea. It really isn’t that bad, you should try—”

“YOU WHAT?” Rey fakes a gag, a shudder going through her. “That’s just _wrong_ , on so many levels.”

Ben nods. “I wholeheartedly agree. Why on earth would someone spoil the world’s perfect drink with that…that _sewage,_ ” He shakes his head. “It’s unbelievable.”

Rey narrows her eyes at his words, and Rose blanches, subtly—but frantically—moving her hand across her neck, trying desperately to get the message across that Rey needs to simmer down, like right the hell now.

“You’d be referring to coffee as the sewage in that comparison, I hope?” Rey asks, innocently sipping from her cup. When she looks up, Ben’s eyes are shifting from her face to her cup; and he honestly looks like he doesn’t want to believe what he’s hearing.

“I _beg_ your pardon.”

Rey narrows her eyes, her grip around her mug tightening. “I think you heard me just fine.” She says, and Ben shoots Poe a look.

“…Please tell me you didn’t try to set me up with a…” A look of disgust crosses his face, and Rey rolls her eyes. “Ugh— _a tea snob._ ”

Rose chuckles nervously, putting both her hands up in a poor attempt to relieve tension, and Poe shoots her an apologetic look, to which she gives him the stink eye of the century.

“You seriously okay’ed this looney-toon, but not the _surgeon_ she was trying to date last month?!” She hisses, gesturing wildly at the man—who is absolutely focused on staring Rey out of existence—Poe winces.

“He had a weird eye twitch!”

“ _That’s not a good reason, you absolute mango.”_ She whisper-yells, watching, horrified, as Rey takes a long sip of her tea, before noisily setting it back on the table.

“Excuse me, but I didn’t very well ask to be set up with a judgmental arse, so I’ll kindly ask you to leave your cheap insults at home.” Rey says, lifting her head at Ben, her eyes razor sharp. Anger boils through her chest, making it heavy, and heated.

No one talks to her like that. _Especially not this piece of work._

Ben scoffs, leaning back in his chair, folding his arms over his chest. He purses his lips, regarding her with a haughty stare.

“You actually believe—honest and truly—that _tea_ ,” He spits the word like it offends his mouth. “Is actually superior to coffee?” His eyebrows are raised, and Rey feels her anger spike. She clenches her hands around her tea mug, letting out a bark of laughter.

“Um, obviously, because it _is,_ ” She says, with a deadly calm that should spike fear through Ben’s chest, but instead, he just sits there with that damn condescending smirk on his face. “Not that I would expect someone who drinks pretentious bean water to get the subtle intricacies that a good tea has to offer.”

“And you say I’m pretentious? There’s nothing subtle or intricate about drying a leaf, and putting it in water.” He deadpans, and Rey grits her teeth, placing her palms flat on the table in front of her.

_The nerve of this man!_

She feels her phone buzz frantically in her pocket, but she ignores it, shooting a glance to Rose, who looks like she’s about to burn a hold through the screen of her iPhone with how quickly her fingers are flying across its glass surface.

Poe, however, is leaning forward with his elbows on the table, fingers interlaced, being used as a seat for his chin. Rey frowns. He actually looks rather pleased with himself, the asshat.

She turns her attention back to Ben the Bean-Freak, and she feels her anger renew. She decides then and there to teach this self-important dingbat a thing or two about insulting her love of tea.

“Listen here, good sir. There are many things that go into the subtle fragrances and notes in a good cuppa, and though I’d love to explain it to you, I’m afraid your shrunken, caffeine-addled brain would be in too much of a blur to process my words.” Rey’s voice is even, but absolutely filled to the brim with a quiet, seething anger—only made more volatile when Ben laughs at her; actually, _genuinely laughs at her_ —in which the anger-o-meter goes from a six, to a nine.

“Oh, you sweet summer child. My brain is perfectly fine, I’ll have you know. But your insistence on resorting to useless name calling in hopes of winning an impossible argument really speaks to the quality of yours.” He sits, cool and collected, while Rey is an inferno of wild emotions, all of which are coming off of her in palpable waves.

“Why you—” She scoots her chair back with a noisy screech, gets up, and stomps towards the coffee counter, grabbing a sugar dispenser with far too much aggression—much to the barista’s confusion—and stomps back over to the table.

Poe laughs then, covering a hand with his mouth, and Rose turtles inside her sweater, unable to watch as Rey saunters up behind Ben, and leans over his shoulder, holding the sugar container menacingly over his mug. He stiffens.

“You wouldn’t dare.”

“Take it back, you _brew_ - _lout_.”

“Rey, please, you’re making a scene!” Rose interjects, but is waved off with a flick of the raging woman’s wrist. Ben scoffs, but his voice trembles at the prospect of his beloved coffee being ruined—something that delights Rey in the very depths of her soul.

_Serves you right, you damn bean-bitch._

“Why should I have to take back a fac— _NO!_ ” He bellows when with a shrug, she turns the container just a half inch over. Not as far as it needs to go for any to come out, but enough that Ben snakes a hand out to protectively cradle his mug as if it were a newborn babe.

“Take. It. Back.” She says, wiggling the sugar container in front of his face; grinning at the scowl that crosses his face as he meets her rage-filled eyes with his own.

“You can fuck right off, you—”

“Fine, have it your way, _prick._ ” She growls out, quickly screwing off the lid, leaning all the way across the table in from of him to dump the whole container of the stuff into his mug with a loud _plop._

He lets out a strangled gasp, and the entire coffee shop goes quiet; the only noise echoing through the building being the steady drip-drops of Ben’s coffee overflowing out of his cup from the mountain of sugar now occupying its space.

The silence is deafening, until Ben rises from his seat, and dumps the contents of the mug on Rey’s head. She lets out a squeak as the clumps of damp sugar tumble through her hair and into her clothes.

Poe gets up then, having finally decided that this is enough chaos for the day, and attempts to stand in between them.

“Look guys,” He snickers. “Are you really gonna ruin a perfectly good first date over hot beverages?” He bargains, and their heads whip towards him, both sets of eyes filled with red hot fury.

“ _YES!_ ” They bellow in unison, and Poe raises his hand in defeat, backing away slowly. Rose gets up to follow his lead.

“I absolutely blame you for this.” She hisses, elbowing him in the ribs. He nods nonchalantly.

“As you should. I didn’t think it’d get this bad.” He admits, not at all hiding the shit-eating grin on his face.

“Damn you, Poe! What did you think would happen when you set her up with a _coffee snob?!_ ” Rose chides, shooting Poe a look that clearly demands an acceptable answer.

Unfortunately for her, he doesn’t have one.

He shrugs. “I dunno. Enemies to lovers?” Rose sighs noisily, her patience for this pot-stirring-shit-disturber of a man long gone.

“You are an _idiot_ , and I will not forgive you for putting me through this derisory.” She says through clenched teeth, eliciting a toothy grin from Poe.

“Yes. But you love me for it.” Shifting his eyes back to his warring friends, Rose groans, sliding the palms of her hands over her face when Rey lets out a sharp laugh.

“Jesus fuck, we’re all going to get arrested for disturbing the peace.” She whimpers.

“But think of the story we’ll get out of it!” Poe exclaims, squeezing the tops of Rose’s tense shoulders. With a scoff, she smacks his hands away, more concerned with Rey, and how close she’s getting to the large man.

Then, she pokes him in the chest— _hard_ —and all hell breaks loose.

“Don’t you touch me, you _leaf-loving lowlife!_ ” He yells, clenching his fists at his sides when she does it again, looking up at him with a manic fire in her eyes.

“I’ll do what I want!” She gets even closer, if that’s possible, waving her finger in front of him before jabbing it into his chest with renewed fervor.

“You,” Poke. “Condescending,” Poke. “Bitter-ass,” Poke. “ _Coffee-chuffer!_ ” She screeches, and he catches her hand in his before she can deliver the final jab.

“Well, at least I don’t need buckets of cream and sugar in order to enjoy my drink, _you tea-monger!”_ Ben growls angrily. Rey gasps, yanking her hand from the man’s grasp, and narrowing her eyes menacingly.

“I’ll tell you what I _don’t_ like in my tea; _pieces of shit with an attitude problem and a caffeine addiction!_ ” She fists her hands at her sides, the molten fury at this impossible man reaching new heights as he barks a condescending laugh, staring her down with his stupidly delicious eyes.

“Good god—tea is literally just smelly _leaf water!_ ”

“Yeah, well coffee is squished-up _beans._ You’re drinking _beans, Ben!_ ”

“Better than being a fucking _dendrophile!_ ”

“I have no idea what the _fuck_ that means, but I’m pretty sure it isn’t!”

“IT MEANS YOU’RE SEXUALLY ATTRACTED TO PLANTS, YOU _FOLIAGE-LOVING-FLOOZY!_ ” Ben leans down, getting right up in her personal space.

“WELL MAYBE WE WE’RE MEANT TO BE, BECAUSE LAST TIME I CHECKED, _A BEAN GROWS FROM A_ _FUCKING PLANT!_ ” Rey screams, leaning forward so that her forehead is mere inches from Ben’s.

She can actually feel the heat coming off him in waves, and the tension runs so thick that it feels like a spark is buzzing and between them; a crackling that goes straight to her core.

“God, just go change your damn name to _Java the Slutt,_ and accept that you’re the one with the _weird-ass plant kink!_ ” She growls through clenched teeth, trying with little success to ignore the arousal spiking in her core as the man towers over her.

_Fuck. If he wasn’t such a complete maggot, I would climb this man like the goddamn tree he is._

“Um, excuse me, but you’re disturbing the other customers, so I’m gonna have to ask you to leave. And like, not come back.” The barista states meekly.

They whip their heads to the poor man, eyes ablaze with a fury so hot, that even the barista was starting to sweat.

“ _NOBODY ASKED YOU!_ ” They snarl in unison, and the barista flinches back, huffing in disbelief.

“I _do not_ get paid enough for this shit.” The read-headed man mutters before trudging back behind the counter.

Ben's focus darts between Rey's feisty, fire-filled eyes, and he can’t help but feel an inexplicable pull toward the loathsome woman.

From her chestnut hair pulled back a messy braid—currently covered in chunks of the coffee-stained sugar—to her small stature, and the hard stubbornness to her gaze.

It makes his pants tighten uncomfortably, but he really can’t help it. He loves a strong woman, and Rey was absolutely that, wrapped in a drop-dead gorgeous package. Ben sighs.

 _But the fucking tea drinking._ That was gonna be a deal-breaker, for sure.

Ben sighs, but doesn’t back away from the fiercely alluring woman, their faces still inches from each other. Ben shivers, feeling a wisp of her breath on his neck.

“Look, this isn’t gonna work.” He breathes. He really doesn't want it to _not_ work, though.

_But the goddamn tea obsession._

She nods, rolling her eyes. “Obviously not.”

If only he wasn't the biggest bean-bitch she'd ever met, this maybe could have gone somewhere. Her eyes slide to his, and her throat bobs.

His breathing is heavy, _so heavy_ , and the sound of it is setting Rey’s nerves on fire.

The movement of his massive chest alone is… _it’s something_ all right, and she’s mildly concerned at the level of arousal she’s reaching just by hearing someone breathe.

_Pull yourself together, woman. This self-righteous fruit cup has insulted you, your intelligence—and for Christ’s sake—your love of tea! This is not the man for you. He’s not._

But the way her eyes zero in on his lips—and the blush that blooms across her cheeks when his tongue darts out to lick them— _really_ suggests otherwise.

“So what then, are we just going to keep staring at each other until one of us combusts? I have better things to do with my life than argue with some handsome idiot—” Rey slaps a hand over her mouth, glaring at Poe when she hears his whoop of laughter in the background.

“Wow, now I _really_ know you have bad taste.” Ben drawls, a maddening smirk on his lips that Rey wants to wipe off his face. Preferably with her lips.

“ _I didn’t mean to say that._ ”

“ _Bullshiiiiit!_ ” Poe sings out from the corner. “She has the hots for you, Solo!”

“ _Poe!_ Quit stirring the damn pot, it doesn’t need any help!” Rose hisses out, smacking her friend on the arm.

Rey groans, taking a step back, and hiding her face in her hands.

“Can we _please_ forget that happened?”

His answering grin is both roguish, and completely infuriating.

“Not a chance in hell.” He says, before stepping forward, and gently taking her hands from her face. She grins when she doesn’t stop him, a confused frown scrunching her face.

_Adorable._

Ben meets her eyes, gesturing towards her hair with raised eyebrows; a question.

“Can I…?” He trails off, hesitating when her frown deepens, but relieved when she nods—slow and bit unsure—but it’s a nod all the same.

Reaching forward as gently as he can, he carefully picks some of the clumps of soggy sugar out of her hair, dropping them onto the floor of the café; much to the chagrin of the barista, who mutters something about ‘the absolute nerve of it all’ and ‘calling the damn police’.

Rey’s throat bobs as she feels his fingers—much larger than she anticipated, and by god if it isn’t doing _delicious_ things to her—they softly run through the strands of her hair, gently combing through to ensure he’s gotten as much of the clumpy grossness out that he can.

Her heart thuds in her chest, making her feel light and weightless as she looks up at him, her stomach fluttering when she sees the softness in his amber eyes; they give her the feeling of a warm cozy blanket in front of a fireplace, filled with promises of care and safety.

It was so much different than the dark, passionate, all-consuming fire that had been there when they’d been at each other’s throats.

Though, there was something to be said about _that_ look, too, and Rey decides she wouldn’t mind seeing him look at her like that during… _other_ activities.

“Thanks, for…this.” She says, feeling a blush colour her face when he smiles softly, flicking a couple more chunks of sugar to the floor.

“Least I can do. I’m the one who put them there, after all.” He chuckles, and Rey’s eyebrow ticks. She’d forgotten about that.

Rose can’t help the grin on her face as she watches the scene before her; even though she has no goddamn clue how they got there in the first place. Poe nudges her arm.

“What’d I tell ya, Rosie? Am I good, or _am I good?_ ” He raises his eyebrows, grinning like the mad man he is.

“You’re still an idiot,” She says, unamused. “But, an effective idiot, I guess.” She mumbles, smiling when her friend pulls her in for a celebratory side hug.

“Awww, Rosie, you flatterer.”

She rolls her eyes at him. “Not a compliment, Dameron.”

“Still taking it as one.” He says, with a tongue-in-teeth smile that she can’t help but laugh at, despite the literal brew-ha-ha he’s caused.

Poe looks over at his friends, and despite the absolute fuckery he pulled off today, he feels like he’s actually managed to bring two people together, by some strange miracle.

Ben is looking at Rey like she’s the answer to the hardest math question in the world, and Rey looks like she wants his di—oh, scratch that, Rey is shoving his hand away.

_Shit._

“Sorry, I just remembered that you’ve been an absolute arse to me this whole date, and I think I’d like to be done with it now.” Rey says, her heart breaking a little as Ben’s face falls momentarily, before he turns back to stone, his eyes hardening as he takes a step back.

She inhales sharply when his warmth disappears with him, and she finds herself wishing he’d come back.

Ben straightens, taking his seat once more, and placing his arms on the table, completely ignoring the bits of sugar adorning the surface.

“Hey, now. You two seem to have reconciled a bit, yeah? Why don’t we just sit and have a friendly chat?” Poe slides up beside Ben, slinging an arm around his shoulder. Ben presses his lips into a thin line, before shoving the man’s arm off of him.

“ _You._ You’re the one that started this whole mess in the first place.” Ben says, glaring at Poe with annoyance. Rose chuckles, patting Poe on the back as she re-claims her seat.

“You did. You deserve backlash. _So much of it._ ” She smiles sweetly at him, and this time, it’s Poe that gives Rose the look.

“Not. Helping.” He says through clenched, smiling teeth.

Rey chuffs a laugh before sinking back into her chair as well.

“You know, Ben does have a point. For someone who makes it their job to be protective of me, you sure went out of your way to make this date as miserable as you could manage.” She squints her eyes at him, pursing her lips. “ _Why._ ”

It’s not a question, and Poe knows that. She’s demanding an answer, and he’s not sure he’s got one other than; ‘I wanted you two to shut the hell up about your stupid beverage obsession’. And he knows that will not go over well.

“Yeah, Dameron. Why put us, and the lovely patrons of this establishment through this madness?”

Poe chuckles, leaning back in his chair while a cocky grin pulls at his lips. He has no idea what to say to cover this up. No _fucking_ idea. He opens his mouth to spew his best bullshit when mercifully, the bells above the door to the café chime loudly, pulling everyone’s attention away from him, and to the large police officer standing in the doorway.

_Oh, hell yes. Saved by the bell._

The police officer walks over to the counter, and Hux points angrily at the table where Rey and her friends are sitting. She squints her eyes—she swears she knows that police officer from somewhere—and when he turns around, she grins.

“Peanut!” The man’s face goes from serious to absolutely thrilled when he grins, wide and toothy, before quickly walking over to Rey.

Ben watches the man with narrowed eyes as the woman stands, and when they crush each other in a bear hug, he presses his lips together in a thin line; a twisting, sick feeling wreaking havoc in his gut.

He doesn’t like that. Not at all.

“What brings you here, Finn?” Rey beams, plopping back into her seat. Finn raises his eyebrows, gesturing over his shoulder to the disgruntled man behind the counter, who is pulling his hair in frustration.

“Got a call from Hux over there about a public disturbance,” Finn drags a chair over from a nearby table, turning it around to straddle it, and cross his arms over the top. “Though that’s not new—he calls every couple of weeks with complaints about one thing or another.” Finn shrugs.

Rey laughs nervously, wiping a stray clump of sugar from her shirt. Finn notices this, and frowns, straightening in his seat.

“Well, about that…” Rey mumbles, her cheeks dusting pink.

“What on earth happened to you? You’re covered in…brown sugar?” He questions, reaching an arm over to swipe some more of the stuff off her shoulder. Finn’s eyes rove over the group, stopping on Ben.

“Uhhh, who is this?”

Rey clears her throat, gesturing to the man sitting across from her—looking _very_ unamused with his arms crossed tightly across his expansive chest, she notes.

“This is my—uh—my date. Ben. Yeah. _Um._ You see, Ben and I got into a bit of a…a _spat—”_

“ _Understatement of the bloody_ _century!_ ” Hux’s voice cracks when he calls out, causing Finn to turn in his seat with raised eyebrows; not used to hearing outbursts from the usually stern man.

“Excuse me, I’d like to talk to these folks to get the gist of what happened, if you don’t mind. I’ll come back to you in a bit, alright?” Finn says, shaking his head as he turns back to his friends. 

Hux, however, is not appeased with the officer’s words, and stomps out from behind the counter, hands balled angrily at his side.

“I think not! These hooligans have been nothing but insult-flinging nuisances since they arrived!” He sputters, his face turning increasingly red when he points from Rey to Ben.

“These two got into an all-out screaming match in the middle of my café, and as you can see, they drove all the other patrons out!” He shrieks, eyes narrowing at Rey. “And then to top it all off, this ruffian wastes an entire container of sugar by dumping it into _his_ cup!” He motions to Ben.

Finn frowns, questioning Rey with his eyes, and when she shoots him a guilty smile, he sighs heavily, rubbing a hand over his face.

“And as if all that hullabaloo wasn’t bad enough!” Hux yells, throwing his hands in the air with abandon. “This complete buffoon dumps the cup full of muck on this one’s head! It’s completely ruined the atmosphere of my café, and I. WANT. THEM. _OUT!_ ” He stomps his foot on the last word, for dramatic effect, of course.

The table is effectively silenced, everyone’s eyebrows collectively raised as they stare at the man, red in the face, and breathing heavily.

Then Poe lets out a long, low whistle, and Finn groans into his hands.

“Alright. If I could ask you to please wait behind the counter while I chat with these folks here, that would be grand.”

“Well, aren’t you going to arrest them?!”

“No, Hux. I’m not going to arrest them.” Finn deadpans, rolling his eyes as the distraught man laughs manically.

“ _But they defiled my place of peace and relaxation with their ridiculous tomfoolery!”_ Hux cries, before stopping abruptly, clasping his hands together with a tight smile, and stiffly walking back behind the counter; almost like he’d just realized he’d been losing it.

Rose frowns. The man looks like he’s absolutely at his wits end, and she really doesn’t blame him. Rose glances at Finn, a blush dusting her cheeks. She’s always had a crush on the man, but it’s never gone anywhere.

Mostly because she won’t _take it_ anywhere.

Her eyes slide to Poe, and she blanches when she realizes he’s looking between the officer and herself, a Cheshire smile crossing his lips. Rose shakes her head frantically, mouthing the word ‘ _no_ ’ with impossibly wide eyes. Poe just chuckles.

This asshole really needs a taste of his own medicine, someday.

“…Is that actually what happened?” Finn asks incredulously, sighing noisily when all four people at the table nod at him. He frowns at Ben then, deciding that he doesn’t much like the man based on what he’s done to his best friend.

“You need to apologize to them.” He states, and Ben guffaws.

“Yes, but I’d also like an apology from her,” He points to Rey. “And especially from him,” He jabs his finger towards Poe. “Rose, however, had nothing to do with this, and attempted to be the peacemaker the whole time. So she’s off the hook.” He adjusts himself in his chair.

“You do realize you could have burned her, right?” Finn asks angrily, and Ben blanches.

If he’s honest with himself, he hadn’t really thought about that in the spur of the moment, and he’s a bit horrified with himself that he could have potentially hurt the stunning woman in front of him.

Seeing the guilt mar Ben’s face, Finn’s frown intensifies, and he stands from his seat.

“I think you should leave. That’s not how you treat someone you’re on a date with, pal, and quite frankly, she deserves better.” He says, before turning to Rey, and placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.

He doesn't notice the frown etched on her face.

“I can take him downtown if you want, Peanut.” Ben stiffens, clenching his fist under the table as he assesses the man before him. He had good muscle tone, sure. But Ben had a distinct size advantage over him.

 _I could take him._ He thinks. _I shouldn’t, and typically, I wouldn’t even think of it._ He notices the way Rey looks at the man’s hand with a frown, and his resolve intensifies.

_But for her…for her, I would._

Rey huffs loudly, pushing Finn’s hand off of her shoulder.

“Absolutely not! It was my fault, too!” She insists, much to the confusion of her friends. “If anything, I’m the one who escalated the situation by dumping the sugar in his cup. We got carried away, yes—but he doesn’t deserve to be treated like this while I get let off the hook!”

Ben’s eyebrows raise.

_She cares?_

Rey takes in a sharp breath at her own words, glancing at Ben as a warm feeling fills her chest. It’s then that she realizes that her dislike of the man might not run as deep as she thought.

His love of coffee is absolutely _deplorable_. But the man himself? The thought of him send the warmth in her chest to other, more noticeable places.

Ben woke a fire in her that had laid dormant for a long time, and she desperately wants to fan it. Her lips quirk up in a smile.

She wants _him_ to fan it, specifically. And by the dark look in his eyes, she had a feeling he’d be all too willing to do just that.

Poe looks between Rey and Ben, his grin reaching new heights of smugness as he watches Ben throw a subtle wink towards the woman across from him; he nearly squeals when Rey winks right back at him.

_I knew it would be enemies-to-lovers. I just fucking knew it._

_This is the best day._

Finn shifts awkwardly on his feet, before nodding at Rey. “Alright, alright. I see what’s going on here.” He looks to Ben. “But no more of this high-stakes arguing, okay? You treat my girl right, we won’t have a problem—but if you don’t,” He flicks his aviators over his eyes. “We’re gonna have a problem.”

Rey dissolves in a fit of laughter, and the sound of it is like sweet, sweet music to Ben’s ears; a crisp, jovial timbre that makes his heart pound.

Looking at Finn, he nods curtly, still unsure of the man’s intentions. “Hey, you heard the lady, she’s the one that started it.” She shoots Rey a half-smile that turns her knees to jelly, and sends heat pooling between her legs.

Rey rolls her eyes, but she can’t hide her smile. “Well, if you wouldn’t have insulted my tea-loving ways, we wouldn’t have had an issue at all.”

“Not my fault you have bad taste.” Ben mutters, leaning back against his chair.

“Well, I’m starting to think you might be right on that…but not in regards to the tea.” She says, peering up at him from underneath her lashes.

Rose coughs, loudly, and it snaps their attention back to reality. Poe laughs then, getting up from his seat.

“Yeah, jeez you two. Get a room.” He shakes his head, before coming over to Finn, and slapping his shoulder good-naturedly. “And thank you good sir, for keeping the peace,” He leans a little closer, whispering. “And just to clarify, we’re not being charged for this?”

Finn chuckles, shaking his head. “Nah. I’ll let you off with a warning.”

A glass breaks behind the counter, and the group whip their heads towards the sound.

“You—what— _A WARNING?!_ ” Hux squawks, picking a muffin out of the display case, and throwing it against the wall. It squishes against the surface, connecting with an incredibly unsatisfying, feeble thud, and he screeches in frustration before stomping off into the back room, announcing loudly that the shop is closed for the foreseeable future, and that everyone needs to leave.

“Um. Well, I guess that’s as good a cue as any to head out. I’d offer to clean up our mess, but…” Rose trails off, looking towards the counter with a cringe. “I don’t think he really wants to speak with any of us at the moment.”

Finn nods. “Yeah, Probably for the best. Do any of you need a lift home? I could take you in the police cruiser.” He says, a grin stretching his cheeks.

“Y’know, I think Rosie said she needed a _ride_.” Poe says, shooting Rose a quick wink.

Rose frowns. “What? But I—"

“Yes, Rose definitely needs you to _take her home_ , Finn.” Rey adds, smiling widely as her friend, who is finally clueing in, if the blush on her cheeks is any indicator.

“Ohhhh. Right—yes. A ride. I do need one of those.” She mutters, not missing Poe’s amused smirk as she rises from her seat.

“In more ways than one.” Her friend whispers, earning a smack to the arm from Rey, and a chuckle from Ben.

“Be nice, you tool.” She chides, shaking her head at her Poe’s antics.

Finn frowns, the interaction flying right over his head. “Uh, well, I guess we should be on our way then. Rose?” He motions for her to follow, and as the exit the café, Rose turns around, widening her eyes dramatically, while repeatedly mouthing _‘oh my god’_ at her friends.

Rey gives a thumbs up in encouragement, and Poe waggles his eyebrows, making an obscene gesture with his hands, that once again, earns him a smack in the arm from Rey. Rose rolls her eyes at the man, before exiting the shop with the officer.

“You are unbelievable. What if Finn had seen?”

Poe shrugs. “Interesting topic of conversation for the drive over?” Rey scoffs, and Ben chuckles.

“At least I know he’s not only an asshole to me.” He mutters, and Poe slams a hand against his chest, feigning injury.

“You wound me, oh dark and caffeinated one.” Poe whines, before getting up out of his chair, his eyes flicking between his two friends. Eventually, they land on Rey.

“Soooo, seeing as your ride left you in the dust, how are you gonna get home, Rey-Rey?” He asks, smirking when he notices Ben straighten in his chair, the man’s eyebrows furrowing in thought.

Rey laughs, rising from her seat, and quietly pushing it in. “Oh, I think I’ll just take the bus. Pretty sure Rose’s love life takes precedence over my ride right now.” She laughs, not noticing the way that Ben stares at her, pieces clicking together in his brain.

She shouldn’t have to take the bus. The bus takes way too long to get anywhere, and he has a perfectly good vehicle in the parking lot.

He frowns.

But would she even want to ride with him after the way he’d treated her earlier? Or had they moved past that awkwardness when they’d reconciled?

Before he has a chance to second guess himself, the words are out of his mouth.

“I could give you a lift,” He pauses when Rey’s eyes find his. “If you want, that is. No pressure.” Ben gets up, his chair screeching across the floor as he stands, and he winces, taking extra care to push it back in without incident.

Rey purses her lips. Regarding the large man as he gingerly sets his chair back into place. When his hands curl around the sides of it, picking it up as if it weighs nothing, Rey feels the coil in her belly tighten once more.

She could go with him, sure. But she barely knows him—not to mention he’d been a royal jackass to her earlier. But then again, she’d been no better to him.

If she did, they could talk more, and maybe see if there could be something there. Something that might be important enough to override Rey’s _‘no coffee drinkers’_ rule.

She nods. She’s willing to try, at least.

“You know what, that would be lovely, Ben.” She smiles at him, and when he grins back, her stomach comes alive with nervous fluttering.

_Oh, Christ. That man needs to smile more often._

As the two walk towards each other, Poe watches with great satisfaction, pride washing over him as his meddling has once again ended supremely well. He really doesn’t know why everyone always complains about it—not when there are always benefits to reap.

Poe stuffs his hands in his pockets, grinning at the two lovebirds, who are basically preening at each other’s attention. He chuffs a laugh.

“Welp, you two kids have fun. Don’t forget to use protection!” He clicks his tongue, ignoring the horrified look on Rey’s face, and the way Ben’s skin has suddenly turned at least twelve shades of red.

“ _Poe!_ ” They both yell as he waltzes out the door like the cocky bastard he is.

Blushing, Ben coughs awkwardly. “He’s an idiot.”

Rey nods. “A complete idiot.” She says, playing with the end of her braid as her eyes rove over Ben’s face. “You…you’re cute when you blush.” She mutters, quickly turning towards the door, her face aflame at her own words.

_I cannot believe I just said that. Be cool, Niima, be cool._

Ben blinks. Not quite sure he just head what he thinks he heard.

_I’m…cute?_

Quickly reaching out, he gently grasps Rey’s hand in his, and when she looks back at him, he can’t help the satisfaction that rises when he takes in the deep blush on her own face. He smiles then, stepping closer to her.

“So are you… _for a tea drinker_.” He says with a wink, and Rey laughs, the sound sending warm tingles down his spine. The bells over the café door ring gleefully, when Ben opens the door, gesturing for Rey to leave first.

The woman smirks, mischief lighting her eyes.

“Wow, such a charmer.” She rolls her eyes, biting back a grin as she exits the shop.

While they walk to Ben’s car, he can’t help his eyes as they travel up and down Rey’s small frame, taking in every curve, every freckle on the skin of her shoulders. His Adam’s apple bobs in his throat.

_I’m in so much trouble. So. Much._

He glances ahead, pulling out his keys as they near his black Goldwing F6B. Rey slows her pace, eyeing the motorcycle warily as a nervous chuckle escapes her lungs.

“Ah. You’re a motorcycle guy, huh? She says, her heart beating a bit harder at the prospect of potentially riding on one. She breathes slowly, deeply, trying to get her nerves under control.

_It’s just like a bike._

_Yeah._

_Just a bike that goes a hundred miles per hour._

_Shit, not helping._

_A bike. Just a bike._

Ben notices how Rey is staring at his beloved motorcycle like it’s the devil himself, and he laughs wryly.

“Now, don’t tell me you hate bikes, too?” He jokes, stuffing his hands in his jacket pockets.

Rey smiles then, a bit of the tension leaving her. She looks up to Ben, and shakes her head.

“No, actually, I’ve always wanted to ride one. They just make me a bit, _ah_ , nervous.” She says, rubbing the back of her neck sheepishly. Ben reaches into the storage compartment of the bike, bringing out two helmets, and offering one to Rey.

She takes it with hesitant hands, and places it on top of her head, sputtering as she squishes a clump of sugar in the process, sending granules tumbling down her face.

“ _Ack!_ Oh, _gross._ I got some in my mouth!” She groans, quickly taking off the helmet, and bending over to shake any remnants out of her hair.

Ben tries his best not to laugh, he really does, but when she starts picking at her clothes and jumping around to get the sugar out, he loses it.

Rey freezes, fixing Ben with a hard glare, and flattened lips.

“This is your fault, you know.” She deadpans, slamming the helmet back on her head.

“Yes.” He snorts.

Her eyes narrow. “So, stop laughing then.”

“Unlikely.” He manages to get out.

She scoffs, flicking granules of sugar in his direction in an attempt to get even, but soon, she finds herself laughing with him, doubled over in hysterics at the whole situation.

She looks up at Ben with a wide, face splitting grin, and for the first time that day, she feels genuinely happy. This man, this gorgeous, infuriating, coffee loving man, has made her laugh harder than she has in years.

It’s then that she realizes there really might be something here. Her face softens, then, and her laughter slows.

Ben doesn’t know what the hell he did to deserve the look she’s giving him, but damn it, he’ll take it! He can’t help the dopey smile that curves his lips as he revels in the way she’s looking at him, like he’s just given her something she’s needed her whole life.

Ben reaches a hand out to her, his heart hammering in his chest when her eyes dart down, then back up.

“Take my hand?” He asks, a thinly veiled hope in his eyes that she will, that he’s not overstepping his boundaries.

Rey can feel her face flushing, and the pulse in her throat thrumming away as she reaches out, gently interlacing her fingers with his. Her breath catches in her lungs when he wraps his large, calloused had around hers; dwarfing it.

“Yes.” She grins when they take the final steps to his bike, hands melded together in a perfect fit as he helps her climb onto the seat, before letting go, and hopping on himself.

Ben mourns the loss of contact as he slides his helmet on, but when Rey wraps her arms securely around his torso, he feels like he might pass out.

The feel of her small, dainty hands against his abdomen, and her lithe form pressed up against his skin is near sinful, and the answering tightening of his pants has him gritting his teeth as he stuffs the keys into the ignition.

_Oh god. Please, not like this._

_“_ So where are we headed, Rey?” He asks, his voice steady despite his rising panic.

Rey doesn’t even register that Ben’s said anything—she’s too focused on the fact that she can barely wrap her arms around this tree trunk of a man, too focused on the hardness of his muscles under her hands.

When he turns slightly, she nearly groans at the feel of his abs working under her hands, but mercifully for her, she manages to hold it in, trying desperately to remember what the hell Ben had even said.

“Ah, sorry, I think I missed what you said.” She says, her face turning crimson as the engine rumbles to life underneath her, doing nothing to assuage the wetness in between her legs.

Ben clears his throat. “Um, where do you live?”

Right. He probably needs to know that.

“Just down on 56th Street. Only about a twenty minute drive from here.” She breathes, her heart absolutely going haywire in her chest. She wonders briefly if he can feel it beating.

Unbeknownst to her, he sure as hell can, and it only makes the problem in his pants grow harder as he speeds off towards her home, praying to whatever gods might exist that he can get his damn boner under control before they get there.


	2. Part II: Extra Hot, Please

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Rey invites Ben into her apartment, feelings continue to steep, and things get a little...steamy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: Okay, a short smut chapter. Get in, get laid, get out.  
>  My muse: *snickers* Okay, there Chief.  
>  Me: No, I'm serious. No longer than 3k.  
>  My muse: So, 15k??  
>  Me: UM ABSOLUTELY NOT.
> 
> *Two weeks later*  
>  Cut to me, side-eyeing my 15k chapter word count.  
>  *Insert gif of kid with blonde pigtails shrugging*
> 
> AHEM, so anyways, that's the story of how this thing got a third chapter. 😂
> 
> As always, a HUUUUGE thank you to my beta extraordinaire, [LauraNightingale](https://archiveofourown.org/works/22460983/chapters/53669302), who helped me plot things out when I got stuck, was instrumental in polishing up this soap opera of a fic, and ultimately is the reason this chapter is being released now, and not in another two weeks, bahaha. So go show her some love!!

Alas, Ben’s boner problem, in fact, did not go away. At all.

After enduring a whole twenty minute motorcycle ride with Rey’s arms around him, her hands palming his abs, her chest flush against his back, and her breath ghosting his neck…suffice it to say, his cock was straining against his jeans with a renewed fervor, despite his attempts to make it go away.

He shifts uncomfortably, sweat beading at his forehead when he realizes he’s going to have to get off his bike soon as his bike slows to a stop in front of her apartment complex.

“Well, this is me!” Rey says, her breath tantalizingly warm as it curls against his ear, and the sensation goes straight to his core. 

_Maybe she won’t mind if I just let her off here and speed away._

He presses his lips in a thin line.

_No. She would definitely mind that. That’s a bad idea—a really great way to make sure I never see her again._

And Ben definitely wants to see her again.

_How the fuck am I supposed to explain the state of my goddamn dick._

_Shit, shit, shit._

He turns off his motorcycle, already mourning the loss of Rey’s arms around him before she even gets off his bike. She seems to hesitate before unwinding her limbs from his torso, though, like she doesn’t want to let go either.

And truthfully, she doesn’t. The very notion of it is offensive to her entire being, but she does it anyway. Rey shivers when she hops off the bike, immediately missing Ben’s warmth, the hard planes of his back against her torso…she just misses it all.

Not to mention the ache between her legs that had only become more and more prominent as the ride went on.

Yeah. There was also that.

_If I’d known riding a motorcycle with a man would be that stimulating, I would have done it years ago._

Her eyes shift to the lumbering man, who flips out the kickstand before dismounting the bike, his back to her. She unconsciously bites her lip when he takes his helmet off, shaking his luscious black locks.

_Or, maybe it’s just him that’s stimulating._

She quickly clears her throat, and he seems to freeze at that, before relaxing, and turning slightly to reach a hand out to grab her helmet.

_Right. That._

She yanks the thing off her head, and she’s about a hundred-and-fifty percent sure that her hair has not had the luck of looking as nice as Ben’s does post-headgear, and if the smirk on his face is any indicator, it’s a right mess.

Then, she remembers.

_Oh god. The coffee sludge from hell._

She quickly runs her fingers through her hair, only to find it stiff. A tad crispy, even. She groans, handing the blasted thing to Ben, before putting her head in her hands.

Ben doesn’t think he’s ever seen anything more adorable in his life.

Awkward boner forgotten, he lets his eyes roam over the woman. Her hair, though still twisted in a simple braid, is _everywhere_. Flat in some places, bumpy in others, and completely unkempt. She’s embarrassed, clearly.

Ben doesn’t know why, though. She’s gorgeous. Doesn’t she know she’s gorgeous? Because she should. She really, really, should.

He gently takes her hands away from her face, meeting her frown with a soft smile.

“I think it’s endearing,” He says, before letting go, and gesturing towards the entrance to her building. “Shall we?”

Rey thinks for half a second that she was lied to when people told her the perfect man didn’t exist.

Then she remembers the coffee.

_Well. Still pretty close._

They walk together, slowly, because neither one of them wants to leave the other quite yet. Sure, their date might have been a complete disaster, but neither can deny the simmering chemistry between them.

Once they reach the door, Rey smiles sadly, clasping her hands behind her back. “Thanks for driving me home, I really appreciate it.”

Ben nods. “It was the least I could do, especially after the, uh…” He waves his hand in the air as he searches for the right words. “I won’t say date, because it really wasn’t one. The incident? The kerfuffle?” He offers, and Rey laughs through her nose.

“Kerfuffle. Definitely a kerfuffle. Though, if you want, I wouldn’t be opposed to giving an actual date another shot?” Rey’s voice is hesitant, because she really isn’t sure if he’d even consider it after today’s catastrophe. Honestly, she wouldn’t blame him if he didn’t.

Ben blinks.

Then, he blinks again.

 _Did she just…?_

He narrows his eyes, taking in her cautious, yet expectant look. Excitement rises in him, thrilled that she would even consider another date after today.

“You…want to give this another shot?” He asks—for clarification—because he’s honestly not sure if this is real, or if he’s made it all up in his head. Is he dreaming? He must be.

She nods. “I do.”

“ _You do?”_

She laughs at him then, her smile wide and radiant while she takes in his bewildered expression, and Ben feels relief flood his senses, his full lips quirking up into a half-smile.

When she nods, a lightness, an airy feeling—he might go so far as to call it giddiness— fills him, and his grin stretches his cheeks.

“Ah, you do.” He murmurs, taking a tentative step forward.

Rey’s heart stutters in her chest when he draws closer. She’s shocked he agreed to a second date, honestly, but she’s not going to look a gift horse in the mouth.

 _God, he’s handsome._

Her eyes rove over the shiny, but worn leather of his jacket, his plaid shirt just barely peeking out from underneath it. It’s a good look, she decides. He shifts then, and something catches her eye…more specifically, something in his pants.

She tilts her head, a wrinkle creasing her forehead before her expression gives way to one of realization. “Oh, no way! Do you have a Swiss Army knife, too? I carry one around all the time, they’re so useful!”

Ben’s brow furrows.

“Uhhh, what?”

She points to his pocket. “There. You’ve got a pocket knife, right? Looks like it’s a pretty heavy duty one, too. Where did you find one so big?”

“I really don’t know what you—” His face erupts in a fierce blush. “— _oh_.”

There’s a _very_ pregnant pause, and Rey presses her lips together, slowly lowering her hand back to her side.

 _That…that isn’t a pocket knife. That is_ not _a pocket knife. Oh god._

She whips her head back up, her eyes wide and her face just as red as his ears. She vaguely remembers he’d had a hard-on while they were fighting in the café—she really wasn’t all too concerned with it then, though, not while she was caught up in the fury of having to defend her favourite drink.

Now, on the other hand, is a completely different story. She’s very much concerned with it now, in fact.

“Oh. That—I see.” She mutters, laughing nervously as she holds his panicky stare.

_Why is he even aroused right now? Not that I’m complaining—but why? And why isn’t he saying anything?_

Ben is seriously considering getting rid of his motorcycle.

He could drive it into a lake. While it’s on fire. Maybe with him on it.

He wonders if she can hear his heart beating with how loud it echoes in his ears, his chest, his everywhere. He cannot believe this is happening right now, and he suddenly feels as though he’s overstayed his welcome.

Awkwardly slapping his thighs with his hands, his lips press in a thin line before he sticks a thumb out in the direction of his bike.

“I, uh, guess I’d better…yeah.” He mumbles, quickly turning to leave. But he freezes in his tracks when he feels her smaller hand wrap around his much larger one.

“Wait,” She breathes, a hopeful glimmer shining in her eyes. “Do…do you want to come inside?” She licks her bottom lip, waiting with bated breath as Ben blinks at her, utterly at a loss for words.

_This woman is entirely too good for you. Entirely. Too. Good._

“I—yes. Yes I would.” He says quietly, smiling softly at the relief that splays across her features at his answer.

“Brilliant. Come on, then.” She grins, turning to walk into her apartment complex. Ben swallows, acutely aware that she’s still holding his hand.

And she has no plans to let it go, not unless he expressly tells her to. She’s giddy, like a kid at Christmas. It’s been a while since she’s brought a man to her flat, especially one that has Poe’s stamp of approval.

She leads him to the elevators, reveling in the feel of his hand absolutely dwarfing hers. She’s not a tiny woman by any means, but Ben certainly makes her feel like one, and fuck, does that turn her on.

_Jesus H. Christ, I need to calm down. He just wants to chat. We’re not having sex._

She purses her lips as she presses the button to call the lift.

 _Well, not yet—no! No. Normal interactions. Talking. Maybe a movie._ _Some Tea—or water. Whatever. No. Sex._

She hears Rose’s voice in her head, telling her to chill, and that wanting to mount the man as soon as they get into her apartment is decidedly _not chill._

The elevator doors open, and the two huddle into the small space.

Ben holds back a groan when he realizes she smells like coffee. Specifically, the delicious ristretto he'd dumped on her head earlier. That, coupled with the fact that she’s still holding his hand, makes his heart do all sorts of acrobatics in his chest.

Rey smiles down at their hands. “So, Ben. I know you like coffee,” Her face twists on instinct when she says the last word, but he lets it slide. “But what else do you like?”

 _You. I like you._ He thinks, the corner of his lips lifting in a nervous smile.

“Well, I know it’s not typical, but I have a small herb garden…you know, one of those electric ones you can use in the house,” Ben shrugs when Rey shoots him a confused, questioning look. “I guess I like having fresh herbs for when I cook. Plus, taking care of them is—”

“Wait, wait. Back up a tick. You _cook?_ ” She exclaims, one eyebrow raised. If he didn’t have her attention before, he certainly does now.

Ben chuckles. “Something like that, yes. My dad owns a restaurant. Taught me everything he knows.”

Rey's mouth turns into a little ‘o' shape just as the elevator bell rings, and they slowly shuffle out of the elevator.

“Tall, handsome, _and_ you know how to cook? It’s a wonder nobody’s snatched you up yet.”

“Well, I don’t know about that,” He mutters, bringing a hand up to scratch his cheek. “If it weren’t for Poe and his meddling ways, my culinary skills might be off the market by now…but if his meddling led me here, then maybe it was worth it.”

“No! He did that to you too?! That man is a menace.” She scoffs, shaking her head, feeling a blush creep up on her as the meaning of his words sinks in.

Ben clears his throat. “He needs a taste of his own medicine, I think.”

“Couldn’t agree more.”

She chuckles, leading him towards a door at the end of the hall.

Ben vaguely wonders about the implication of her bringing him into her home. Does she just want to get to know him? Or is she expecting something a little more…intimate? He wets his lips with a swipe of his tongue. 

If she expects the latter, he certainly isn’t going to complain.

“So, what else do you like to do, Mr. Motorcycle Chef?” She giggles, and Ben laughs through his nose as she unlocks the deadbolt.

“I guess I’m also pretty into readin—” The words die on his lips when she flings her door wide open, and leads him inside.

_Oh._

_Oh my god._

There’s something tea related everywhere he looks. _Everywhere._

_She…she’s a crazy cat lady…but with tea._

He represses a cringe, a wave of something bitter and slightly floral attacking his nose as he steps inside, but he’s too preoccupied with his surroundings to figure out where the pungent smell is coming from.

The first thing he sees is a bright green teapot that sits happily on her compact kitchen table, and a large kettle that rests on the stove, which, at first glance, seems normal enough.

But then he sees a horde of mason jars filled to the brim with loose tea adorning the counters. In fact, it looks like she has a whole setup sitting up there, including a sugar bowl, a jar of honey with one of those fancy-ass dippers in it, and at least seven novelty steepers in various shapes and forms.

He squints his eyes.

_Is that a sloth? That’s definitely a sloth._

His eyes shift to some art she has put on the walls. A portrait of a flower, some fan art for a well-known sci-fi franchise, and that’s cool, interesting even.

But he presses his lips together when he realizes the last one is a motivational poster—which usually, would be fine. Weird, yes, but fine—but this poster has some tacky floral design against a white background, with a black tea cup smack in the middle of it.

And if that isn’t bad enough, he notices there are words boldly scrawled across the top and bottom of the poster.

_‘Life is like a cup of tea, it’s all in how you make it!’_

And, it’s framed, like she’s actually proud to have it hanging there. Ben represses a groan.

_That is terrible. Truly terrible._

Turning his head, he unconsciously slackens his grip on Rey’s hand a little when he sees an ornate, maple china cabinet with an _entire tea set_ in it—one of the ones where the tea cups have various insults and swears on the inside.

He chuckles.

_Okay, those are actually pretty great._

He’ll never admit it out loud, though.

“Ben?” She asks, hesitating when she sees the look in his eye—he almost looks traumatized.

He shakes his head. “Uh, sorry. Reading. I like to read.” He says curtly, his nose wrinkling as she leads him into her apartment, dropping his hand.

_What on earth is that smell?_

It’s not that it’s unpleasant, but it’s just so _strong_. He stays planted a couple steps into her doorway, looking in every direction for whatever the source of the stench is...and that’s when he sees it.

A small, teal-coloured decorative bowl on her coffee table, filled with a mixture of pinecones, glass marbles, and stuff that look suspiciously like...

He snorts, loudly enough for her to notice. He tries to cover it up with a cough, but he knows it’s too late for that.

_This woman is using tea as potpourri. Fucking tea._

He can’t believe it.

“Are you coming in, or are you just going to stand there?” She asks, amused, with her hands planted on her hips.

_Don’t laugh. If you care about what this girl thinks of you, don’t do it._

He takes a deep breath in an attempt to assuage his overwhelming amusement, and for the moment, it works.

_Do. Not. Laugh._

Then, he looks at the bowl again, and he can’t help it. He chuckles, loudly. He slaps his hand over his mouth. And when she follows his gaze, she rolls her eyes at him.

“Look, it smells nice, okay? I like jasmine.” She defends.

Ben momentarily wonders if she’s worth all of… _this._ Then, he remembers her smile when she’d shaken the sugar out of her hair in the parking lot, and her contagious laugh when they’d absolutely lost themselves to the ridiculousness of the situation, and he decides that, yes, she is.

Even if it looks like Teavana threw up in her apartment.

He takes off his shoes, and steps into her home, and if he thought the smell was strong in the entryway, it had _nothing_ on the kitchen. He grimaces, the onslaught of scent just too much for his nose.

Rey frowns, concern lacing her gaze.

“Are you okay? Is...is the smell too much?” She asks, the disappointment in her voice enough to shake Ben out of whatever daze he was in.

But he can’t lie to her, so he tips his head back and forth noncommittally, opening and closing his mouth like some fish out of water, until he finally decides on the words to say.

“It’s just… _strong._ ” He says sheepishly.

She nods, walking over to the kitchen window to push it open, the clean breeze taking some of the smell out of the room.

Rey knew this would be a deal-breaker. She’d really, _really_ hoped it wouldn’t be, but what sane person has this much tea in their house?

She’s obsessed, and she knows it. 

_For fuck’s sake. At least I didn’t put the concentrated chai in my diffuser before I left. If he can’t handle some jasmine leaves, that would have been a nightmare._ Rey thinks.

She turns to ace him then, wringing her hands nervously. “If…if this is too much, don’t feel like you have to stay. I won’t be offended if—”

Rey inhales sharply when all of a sudden, Ben is in front of her, tipping her chin up with his calloused fingers.

Her skin prickles with heat at his touch, and her breath catches in her lungs as her eyes meet his.

“No, I’ll stay. I think…” His tongue darts out to lick his lips, and she finds her gaze fixed there for a moment too long before she looks back into his eyes. “I think you’re worth it, Rey.”

He traces her jawline with the pad of his thumb before taking a step back, much to Rey’s chagrin. When his hand leaves her face, she finds herself leaning forward to follow his touch. She wants more of that, more of him.

“You do?” She breathes, looking up at him through her lashes.

He nods. “Yeah, I really do.”

Her lips twist in a smirk. “Even though I drink the devil’s leaf water?”

Ben grins. “Well, you seem to want to give me a chance, despite my love of drinking ‘beans’, as you so eloquently put it. So yes. Even though you drink the devil’s leaf water.”

Rey lets out a soft laugh, giddiness filling her from the tips of her toes to the hairs on her head. She gestures for him to follow her into the living room, where she seats herself on her couch.

She feels Ben’s gaze on the back of her neck, and she finds that she likes the way he looks at her, like she’s the answer to a question he didn’t know he needed to ask, and the very notion of that perplexes him.

She’s rather perplexed by him, too.

Rey watches his Adam’s apple bob in his throat while his eyes travel across her face, taking in every feature, and memorizing it. Heat pools in her belly, and she stares right back, caught up in the hurricane of strained attraction between them; palpable, thick, and nearly impossible to ignore.

When Ben walks over to sit right next to her, his thigh brushes her knees—and the heat that comes off his body is nearly too much.

Rey shoots up from the couch, her heart drumming a frantic rhythm in her chest, and she scrambles for an excuse, any excuse that will make her behaviour seem half-normal.

“W-would you like a cuppa?” Her words come out as a jumble of speedy syllables, and when he frowns, she realizes her mistake.

“Uh, no.”

“Right. Um. Water, then?”

He offers her a soft smile, a quirk of the lips that sends heat shooting straight through to her core.

“Water will be just fine, thank you.”

Rey nods, grimacing at her actions as she turns away from Ben to walk into her kitchen. She grabs the kettle off the stove, filling it with water before flicking on the burner, and setting it down.

 _God, maybe Rose is right. Maybe I_ am _new._

She honestly can’t figure herself out. Sure, she hadn’t had a lot of dating experience— _thanks to a certain someone_ —but she usually had more game than this! Why she was suddenly reduced to a fumbling ball of awkwardness was beyond her.

When the low shuffle of feet alerts her to Ben’s movements, she turns her head, only to see him pulling up a chair to her kitchen table.

_Right. His water._

She quickly grabs a glass from her cupboard, turning on the tap until the water runs cold before she fills the cup, and slides it to him across the table.

He catches it in his hands, smirking at her action before his eyes slide to the teapot in front of him. It’s nearly neon green, and much to his amusement, there are two little cartoon leaves on it—hand painted, it looks like, though by two different people—one more delicate, and the other a little more… _abstract_ , but both are all smiley and happy while they dance around the pot.

Before he can help it, a little snort escapes his nose, and Rey whips around, shaking her head when she sees him eyeing it.

“Ben Solo, are you judging my choice in teaware?”

“Oh, I’m judging alright, but not the choice, just the teaware in general,” He chides. “I actually rather like the little leaves, though. Did you paint them?”

He shifts his eyes up to Rey as she approaches the table, carefully picking the teapot, and cradling it in her hands.

She traces a thumb along one of the happy leaves, almost reverently. “I, uh, yeah. I did. My foster mom and I made it together when I was a kid.”

Ben can’t help the dopey smile that crosses his lips when she turns around to set the porcelain thing on the counter. The way her face lit up when she mentioned her foster mom…it was beautiful.

He admires the way she lets her emotions lay bare on her sleeve for the world to see. She’s unapologetically honest about her feelings, and that’s one of the reasons she’s so interesting to him. 

He’s never been that way, not by a long shot. That is, until today, in the café, when his anger flared to life over coffee, of all things. And more importantly, the happiness that flickered, light and bubbly in his chest when Rey smiled at him for the first time.

Today, he’d been unapologetic about his feelings, too. And he liked that.

Rey clears her throat. “So, I’m curious. What happened that made you decide to hate the world’s best drink?” She throws him a look over her shoulder, before reaching for one of the mason jars on the counter.

Ben purses his lips, sighing as he adjusts himself in the too-small kitchen chair.

“My mom used to make tea all the time, every day, actually. I wasn’t a fan,” He offers, gesturing with his hand. “I can be, ah, stubborn, so her repeated attempts to get me to like it made me that much more keen not to. Haven’t touched the stuff since I moved out when I was sixteen.”

Rey nods, tapping her fingers on the counter, mulling the information around in her head. She really shouldn’t do this—especially after he’s just said his mom used to force tea on him, but...

_Ah, what the hell._

She turns to face him. “You should try some of my tea,” She declares boldly. “Who knows, you might like it.” She shrugs, smiling at him when his face twists into a grimace.

He scoffs. “Not a chance.”

“Pretty please?” She gives him her best pouty face, and she can almost see the mask that is his resolve cracking in two.

 _Fuck. How the hell am I supposed to say no to that?_ Ben thinks.

The look she’s giving him makes him want to bite her lower lip, then make her moan until she forgets about trying to force-feed him sewage water. Then, he remembers the emergency contents of his jacket pocket, and he grins mischievously.

He sighs, long and loud, for effect. “Fine.”

Rey absolutely lights up, nearly squealing as a grin spreads across her face. Ben’s throat bobs, the absolute glee radiating off of her almost makes him feel bad about what he’s about to do.

Almost, but not quite.

“Great! What kind of—”

“ _But,_ ” His eyes glint with mischief, a smirk curling his lips. “Only if you try some of this.” He says, whipping open his leather jacket to reveal several Ziploc bags duct taped to the lining, each filled with different types of coffee grounds, by the looks of it.

Her mouth falls open, and she quickly closes it. She was not expecting _that._

He carefully runs his fingers over each bag, like he’s _genuinely_ debating which to make her try. When he finally selects one, he gingerly tears it away from his jacket, placing it on the table, before opening the other side of his coat to pull out a slow-drip filter, and a small, plastic stick.

_What the actual fuck. He…he’s like a sketchy old-school watch salesman, but for coffee grounds!_

Rey swallows. She really doesn’t want to drink that. _At all._ Her brain is scrambling, eyes shifting back and forth as she tries to find a way out of this, and when Ben rises from his chair, she barely even notices.

He takes slow steps towards her, stalking and confident as he gently drops the bag on her counter, the small noise making her snap her eyes up to meet his own.

Ben Smirks. “Do we have a deal?” He asks, his voice is low, growly in a way that makes tingles race up and down her spine, and heat bloom in her chest.

As he approaches her, all she can think of is how much she’d like to wipe that smug grin off his face, but when he uses his added height to lean over her just so, she finds the need to remove the smirk vanishes into thin air.

“I cannot believe you carry bloody coffee around in your coat,” Her voice is breathy, and far too quiet. “Who even does that?” The air barely comes out of her mouth when he leans down just a touch, lessening the distance between them.

Ben shrugs. “Never know when I’ll be somewhere where the coffee isn’t up to snuff,” He quirks an eyebrow, and it does funny things to Rey’s insides. “So,” He prompts. “Do we have a deal?”

Her breath hitches in her lungs. He’s so close—so close she can smell him—all warm, earthy, and all kinds of delicious, with just a touch of something acidic, something she can’t quite place.

_Jesus, he smells like a goddamn candle._

But that doesn’t matter anymore, because he’s reaching over her head to open the cabinet door and grab a mug, and her eyes can’t help but follow it, his muscles flexing as he moves.

 _Holy shit, he_ — _oh, god_ — _his biceps are as big as my goddamn head._

She clears her throat, swallowing thickly, her eyes widening when he smiles down at her.

_Does he even know what this is doing to me?_

And when he winks as he draws back from the cupboard, her favourite mug in hand—a deep blue one, with a little ducky on it—and she decides that yes, yes he does.

“You’re awfully quiet,” He remarks, turning the mug in his hands, smiling when he sees the bright yellow duck. His eyes shift to hers. “Something distracting you?”

_Jesus fuck, I’m in trouble._

She shakes her head, clearing her throat before she reaches for her own cup, only to quickly draw her hand back and head straight for the china cabinet.

With a maniacal smirk, she opens the glass case, and grabs a delicate white teacup with a simple, yet elegant black floral print.

She grins when she reads the thin, loopy cursive scrawled across the inside.

**_~Eat a dick.~_ **

_Most appropriate. Yes, definitely the right cup._

Rey waltzes back to the counter, a certain buoyancy to her steps that hadn’t been there before. Meeting Ben’s eyes, she carefully sets the teacup on the counter, before gently sliding it closer to him.

“Your beverage receptacle, good Sir.” She says, her tone dripping with sarcasm.

She watches the man, a shit-eating grin glued to her face as his eyes rove over the script on the inner rim. He lets out a breath of a laugh from his nose, his lips— _Christ almighty,_ _his lips_ —stretching into an adorably toothy smile.

Ben slides a finger across the words. “Classy,” He looks up subtly to meet her eyes. “That a motivational saying too, or are those reserved for the posters?”

Rey’s throat goes absolutely dry at the implication, but she manages to laugh it off, looking up at him from underneath her lashes.

“Maybe it is, maybe it isn’t,” She shrugs her shoulder nonchalantly, tilting her head with a click of her tongue. “Guess you’ll have to get to know me a little better to find out.”

She quirks an eyebrow, watching with glee as his eyes shift to her mouth, lingering there half a second too long before he snaps them back up.

Ben thinks she’s absolutely doing this on purpose. Without a doubt, she is trying her best to torment him, and damn is it ever working.

 _Maybe she’s just being friendly. Responding to your joke._ He frowns. _For some reason. Even though it wasn’t even very good._

His eyes draw back down to Rey’s mouth as her little pink tongue darts out wet her lips, and he barely holds back a groan.

He could think of at least four things she could do with that tongue that would be better than licking—

“What’s the matter, Ben?” She leans towards him, trouble written all over the glint in her eyes, the twist to her expression. “Something distracting you?”

He’s pretty sure she might be evil incarnate, but that doesn’t really matter, because even if she is, he’s never wanted someone so badly in his whole life.

As Ben watches her turn on her heel to face her mason jars, his body aches for hers, demanding her proximity; loudly, insistently, and he desperately wants to give in.

Rey lightly taps her lips with a finger before glancing at him from the corner of her eye, slowly parting them to take the tip of her finger between her teeth, biting gently.

_Holy fucking shit._

His dick twitches to life in his pants, and he knows if he doesn’t change the subject, or somehow manage to get himself under control, he’s gonna have a full hard-on in the middle of this woman’s kitchen.

_Not good._

Rey, however, is delighted at his reaction, grinning to herself when she sees the outline of Ben’s hardening cock in his jeans.

 _Oh, this is excellent._

Pride spreads through her chest, warm, weightless, and incredibly satisfying when she realizes she’s been affecting him just as much as he’s been affecting her.

She plays innocent, dragging her finger over the lids of the different teas, tilting her head towards him.

“Pick your poison, Ben. Chai? Green? Rooibos? Black? I even have some fruity herbals, if that’s more your speed.”

Ben’s throat bobs as he watches her delicate hands trace around the lid of one of the jars, and he clears his throat, trying desperately to keep it cool, despite the uncomfortable straining in his pants.

“Make it exactly how you like it.” He says, and the low, sensual tone of his voice is like music to her ears, sending prickles over her skin.

_What I’d like is you, Ben Solo._

“Alright, then, extra spicy chai, it is.” She pulls the jar forward, and grabs one of her steepers from the small container—the sloth one—filling it with tea before placing it in his cup, the happy little creature resting its silicone arms over the rim.

Ben watches her like a hawk, taking in her every movement, from the gentle, fluid way she scoops the tea with her pinky sticking out, to the way she meticulously arranges the steeper in the cup.

Before he knows it, he’s drawn closer to her, close enough that he catches a whiff of her scent in his nose. Under the tang of the coffee still in her hair, it’s spicy—like cinnamon, or cloves, maybe—with a hint of something slightly floral. He exhales, letting his eyes roll back in his head as he lets the smell float through his senses.

_She’s divine._

As she finishes up with prepping the tea, Rey feels a prickle of heat at the back of her neck, and when she twists her head to look, there he is. Right behind her, close enough to touch.

She flushes, inhaling sharply when she realizes the warmth at the back of her neck had been his breath.

Realizing his proximity, Ben clears his throat, before taking half a step back. Still close, but not quite as invasive. He peers over at the tea cup with interest.

“So, how do you know how much to put in there?” He asks, his voice unsteady, which breaks Rey out of her trance, bringing her back into the moment.

She shakes her head, turning back to her tea station to grab the cream and sugar. “Ehh, honestly, I usually go for two teaspoons. Any less than that is too weak, but any more can be a little overpowering. It varies from tea to tea, though.”

“Hmm,” Ben mumbles, nodding while he lifts the little baggie of blech between his fingers. “Mind if I prep yours, too?”

Rey nods. “Please, go right ahead.”

Ben smiles as he opens the bag, taking a deep inhale of the stuff, wafting it up with his hand. Rey wrinkles her nose when the smell makes its way over to her, and she nearly gags from the stench of it.

“Just how strong is that stuff? She asks, her eyebrows scrunch together as the pungent smell continues to invade her nostrils.

Ben laughs. “Ah. Well, it _is_ espresso, so I guess it’s pretty strong.”

Her face falls flat in a deadpan. “You carry around espresso in your pocket?”

He nods. “Yep. It’s my favourite.”

“Of course it is.”

“You know, I do carry stronger brews…the one I’m making for you is actually quite a bit weaker than what I usually go for.” He says sliding the ducky-mug across the counter, until it sits in front of him.

Rey blanches.

_Why…ugh. He can’t just ease me in with some powdered French vanilla or something—no, no—gotta go for the fucking elephant-killer espresso!_

She watches him as he methodically brings out the paper filter, which looks remarkably similar to the filters she uses for her tea, just with two holes at the top, and no drawstring.

He sticks a little plastic stick through the top of the empty filter, before placing it to rest on the rim of the cup, leaving the bag suspended.

Rey’s brows furrow.

_Hm. Interesting._

Then, Ben takes the Ziploc bag in his hands, tilting ever so slightly, shifting it until some of the grounds tumble into the filter.

Rey grabs a spoon to offer him, but he quietly shakes his head, his focus completely trained on his task.

She swallows as he leans closer to the counter, tapping the bag with his pointer finger—each touch causing the grounds to rustle against each other before falling gently into the filter, and to her surprise, not a single speck misses its target.

This should be disgusting, and she should be right put-off by it...but for some reason, the intricacy of his movements, his focus, his precision _—_ it’s turning her on. 

His thick fingers deftly adjusting the stick on top of the cup nearly sends her, and briefly, she wonders what other things those talented fingers could do.

_This…this may be the weirdest lady boner I’ve ever had._

_Damn it, Rey. Stop._

She feels her heart hammering against her chest, feels the heat travelling to her cheeks, to the back of her neck, and especially into her belly, where it pools deep and warm, and oh, so enticing.

Clearing her throat, she turns her lips down as her eyebrows raise, and she nods, trying her best to play off her rising arousal while he finishes adjusting the coffee filter.

“There.” Ben says, turning to face her with a satisfied smile stretching his lips. 

He’d expected to see disgust, revulsion, maybe even a grimace of some sort, but he finds himself wholly unprepared for the flush climbing up her neck onto her cheeks, for the hand resting at the base of her throat...and her eyes— _oh, god._

They’re dark, wanting, with none of the striking hazel that usually shines there, the black of her pupils filling them instead. His Adam’s apple bobs, his breathing getting progressively heavier as they stare at each other.

The energy between them is heated, electric, and Ben takes a tentative step towards her, the tension between them crackling like a bolt of lightning—singeing their cores, and drawing them towards each other like moths to a flame.

Aside from their breathing, the room is absolutely silent as they continue to stare each other down, seemingly stuck in a trance as they wait for someone to make the first move.

Rey can hear the blood thrumming through her veins; feel her heart beating in her throat. 

Waves of want crash over her when her eyes slide down Ben’s body, studying it, imagining the things he could do to her with those hands, his lips, his cock.

Unconsciously, she steps towards him, her hand stretching out like a woman possessed, fingers ghosting a line down the first three buttons of his flannel shirt.

He inhales sharply, his toned body tensing against her fingers, turning his muscles hard; unyielding.

She can’t help the whisper of a moan that escapes her lips as her eyes meet his, begging silently for permission.

_God I want him. I want all of him, all to myself._

Ben can’t even think straight. The woman in front of him is sex on a goddamned stick, and if he didn’t know any better, he’d think she was propositioning him with her eyes.

_Hell, maybe she is._

His eyes flick down to her fingers, floating just a hair’s breadth away from his chest, and driving him absolutely _insane._ He wants to feel her against him, all reaching hands, entangled limbs, clashing tongues, lips, and teeth.

_Fuck it._

He takes half a step forward, and her hand splays across his chest, firm, sure, _and fuck_ , if it doesn’t make his dick even harder.

Tentatively, he reaches a hand out, tracing the curve of her jawline, the corner of her lips, before moving his fingers under her chin, tilting it up just a touch.

She is absolute putty beneath his hands, and when she brazenly stares up at him, desire meets desire, and she sees his restraint crumble before her eyes. In the span of a breath, both his hands are on her, one cradling the side of her face in the gentlest of touches, the other winding around her waist, pulling her to him.

 _Bloody hell, he’s so close…but I want him closer._ She thinks, tingles racing up her spine when their noses graze each other, when his breath ghosts across her lips.

“I need you. Please.” His voice is a rough, desperate growl, and the words are like music to Rey’s ears.

_Hell. Yes._

She lets out a breathy laugh, tentatively reaching her hand up to rest at the nape of his neck, her fingers tangling in his soft, inky hair. She closes her eyes, relishing the feel of his tresses under her fingertips.

“ _Please._ ” He repeats, and she feels the word against her lips.

“Yes, Ben. I’m yours.” She whispers, before gently pressing her lips to his in a soft, passionate kiss.

Ben’s arms tightens around Rey’s waist, bringing her even closer as his hand travels from her face around to the back of her head to cradle the base of her skull.

Heat rips through her when she feels his hand wrap all the way around the back of her neck, his fingers long enough, large enough, that their reach begins to curl around the front of her throat. She swallows thickly, whimpering against Ben’s lips.

A shot of pleasure goes through him at the sound, and he lets his tongue snake out from between his lips, silently asking for entrance as he licks across the seam of hers, slowly, gently.

She tastes sweet, but spicy, and he doesn’t think he’ll ever get enough.

And when her lips part, her tongue slipping out to stroke against his own, he knows he never will.

He deepens the kiss then, turning it more insistent, more desperate, and when her hand roves up his chest, fingers digging into his skin, he shifts his hands to grasp at Rey’s hips, lifting her to him like she weighs nothing.

A strangled noise escapes Rey’s throat as Ben hoists her up onto the countertop with little to no effort, causing the surge of heat to flare at her core.

She likes that he could throw her around like a rag doll if he wanted. She likes it a lot.

“God, Ben, your _lips_ ,” She says between kisses, twisting and twirling her fingers in his long hair. “You taste so good.” She moans, sliding her tongue back into his mouth, her other hand sliding down the front of him, lower, lower, until it hovers at the hem of his shirt, tentative.

Ben shifts closer to her, and her hand slides under his shirt, across his skin—her fingers tracing his abs as he rubs his thumb just under the shell of her ear.

“So do you,” He murmurs, taking her bottom lip in between his teeth like he’s wanted to since he first saw her, and nibbling gently. Her answering moan spurs him on, drawing a husky breath from him. “You’re sweet, spicy, and I want more. Will you let me taste more of you?”

“Yes, please.” She barely gets the words out before Ben’s mouth begins languidly peppering kisses across her jaw, slowly moving down to her neck, where he moans against her skin.

Rey’s skin prickles, and she instinctively leans her head over to give him more access, her hands travelling lower on his torso, until she hooks her thumbs under the waistband of his pants.

“Taste me whichever way you like,” She whispers against his lips. “So long as I get to taste more of you, too.”

Ben meets her eyes, the dark promise lingering there making his cock twitch in his pants, and he knows what he wants, what he needs.

He backs away from her, trailing his hands down the sides of her torso, his long fingers catching the sides of her breasts as they slide down, eliciting a sharp gasp from Rey.

“Lift yourself up.” His voice is rough, demanding. His hands slide up to rest on her hips, and she plants both hands on the counter, raising her body off the smooth surface.

Ben makes quick work of unbuttoning her jeans; shimmying them down her hips, over the curve of her ass, and off her legs, before tossing them aside.

Rey’s heart beats about a million miles in her chest as she watches his eyes rove up her legs, slowly, as if he’s appreciating every square inch of skin he can see, before he inches closer, his hands reaching out to follow suit.

She reaches an arm towards him, but in a quick move he grabs both her wrists in one hand, raising them over her head, and pinning them against the kitchen cabinets with a loud clank.

“Oh, _fuck yes_ , Ben. Take what you want. You can have whatever you want.” She moans out between breaths, his motions making her considerably wetter than she’d been before—so wet, in fact, she can feel it soaking through her panties.

But Ben isn’t quite paying attention to that yet, and he trails his fingers up her calf, slowly, reverently, worshipping her as she sits on the countertop throne.

She trembles under his hands, writhing as he drags them across her skin with a feather-light touch, up behinds her kneecaps, slowing as his touch climbs her inner thigh—and that’s when he sees it, how wet she is for him.

He blinks, once, twice, his breath stopping in his lungs as his eyes are pulled to her center— _her deliciously soaked center_ —and he lets out a guttural groan.

Ben’s eyes flick up to hers then, a wicked smirk twisting his lips.

“Tell me what you want.” He says, the growl to his voice making her chest squeeze with want while his fingers inch ever closer to where Rey needs them most.

“What?” She huffs, breathless and bound by his hand.

“Tell me,” He deliberately curves his touch to the hem of her teal cotton panties, just grazing it with his fingertip. “What. You. _Want._ ” He all but purrs, enunciating each word in an infuriatingly sexy way that makes Rey’s muscles clench.

Rey nearly thrashes against his hand holding her arms hostage, and she wonders if her heart might crack a rib with the way it thunders in her chest, the light pressure of his touch lingering, teasing, but not where she needs it most. 

She lets out a frustrated huff before her hooded eyes meet his.

“Touch me.”

He chuckles. “I am touching you.” He traces up the junction between her inner thigh and her core, and she sucks in an audible breath.

“ _Fuck right off_ , you know what I meant.” She rasps as his fingers continue their lazy trailing, down this time, skimming the bottom of her ass before coming back up to tease at the edge of her panties.

“Fucking is usually the goal in situations like these.” He quips, sliding his finger a little further into her panties, just skimming over her outer lips.

She grits her teeth, tilting her head up to rest against the cupboards.

_He’s going to fucking kill me with this teasing...but I might just let him._

“Jesus Christ! Fine,” She squirms uncomfortably in a vain attempt to inch his fingers closer to where she wants them. “Ben, I want you in me. Your fingers, your tongue, your cock, _I don’t much care_ , I just need you. Please—”

Her words are cut short, and she gasps for breath as he moves her panties to the side, tantalizingly sweeping two fingers through her cunt, gathering wetness before stroking upwards, languidly circling the pads of his fingers over her clit.

“Touch you…like this?” He rumbles out, that goddamned smirk back on his face.

“Shit—Yes. _More._ ” Rey gasps out when he adds some pressure to his ministrations, causing her hips to buck into his hand with a groan.

“Oh? More, you say?” He chuckles darkly, before letting her arms fall from the cabinets. “Lift.” He commands, and she hastily obeys, struggling now, because of the sensuous friction his calloused fingers are giving her clit.

Pulling his hand away, he quickly slides her panties off, smirking at the odd design on the back.

Rey pales when she sees the amusement on his face, remembering exactly which pair of underwear she chose to wear today.

_Oh, fuck me sideways. Why._

She groans inwardly, her eyes hesitantly meeting his, and he smirks at her, one eyebrow cocked.

“ _Posi-tea-vely Scrumptious_ , huh?” He snorts, tossing the panties aside before bringing his fingers back to her core, nimbly dipping one of them into her wet entrance. “Now that, I can agree with.”

Ben wet his thumb in her juices, before bringing is to rest over her clit as he gently crooks his finger inside her.

Rey’s eyes roll back in her head, and she lets out a low groan.

“Your fingers…Christ, one of them is like two of mine.”

He grins, a low hum rumbles out of him as he works his finger in and out of her, curling it up every time he thrusts it in.

“Yeah?” He swipes his thumb across her clit while he wets a second finger, pressing them both into her, curling them to swipe up at her inner walls.

Rey sucks in a breath, her grip on the countertop causing her knuckles to go white when she feels a white-hot coil starting to tighten low in her belly, the delicious friction from Ben’s fingers only coiling it tighter and tighter as he pumps them in and out.

“ _Fuck yes_ , just like that,” She gasps, her eyes taking in his expression as he pleasures her.

He’s biting his bottom lip, eyes trained on the glorious work his fingers are doing, the methodical way he works her core, filling it, stretching it…but she still needs more.

His eyes flit to hers then, and she reaches a hand out cup the side of his face.

“Give me three, Ben.” She whispers, husky in a way that sounds nothing like she usually does, but the low rasp seems to light a fire in Ben’s eyes, and he lets out a growl before he wets another finger, his eyes holding hers hostage when he slowly— _so agonizingly slowly_ —slips a third finger in.

Rey hisses a breath, grinning as she looks down at him, watching as he deliberately spreads the appendages apart to widen her cunt before he sinks them in. 

They slide into her until he’s nearly three knuckles deep, before curling them up, hitting that spot that makes her see stars. 

“Jesus, Rey, you’re so wet.” He whispers, his eyes awed at the fluids steadily leaking from her center, and onto his hand.

“You did this, you know. The way your body flexed against mine on your motor—” His thumb resumes its lazy circles on her clit, making her moan. “— _oooohh god_.”

She’s getting close, she can feel it; that delicious coil winding tighter and tighter with each thrust and curl of his fingers, with each pass of his thumb over her clit. She feels hot tingles run up her spine, traveling all the way across her scalp as her pleasure builds, as she nears the precipice. 

With a haggard breath between hard heartbeats, her eyes meet his, esurient as her legs begin to shake, and she silently begs, desperate for release. 

Ben runs his other hand over her trembling thigh, squeezing it lightly while his eyes take in the enrapturing, erotic sight before him; Rey, legs spread, chest heaving, and cunt dripping around his fingers as she throws her head back with a ragged moan, and panted pleas of _‘yes’_ and _‘more’_. 

His eyes soften as he takes her in, the unadulterated pleasure across her face sending him falling off a cliff he didn’t think he was in danger of tumbling over.

But to his own surprise, he finds he’s alright with falling. 

_She’s an absolute goddess. My goddess._

“ _Oooohhhh_ , please yes, Ben, I’m so close.” Her legs shake even harder, heart thundering in her cunt as the coil binds itself so tightly she thinks she might burst, then shatter into a million pieces.

“Come for me. Come around my fingers, Rey,” He works his fingers up and into her, a deep growl reverberating through his chest when her walls clench around him. “I want to feel what I do to you.”

And with his words, the coil snaps, and her hands fly out, grasping for purchase anywhere she can find it. In her frantic search for leverage, she ends up knocking the sugar bowl off the counter, sending its contents to scatter all over the floor, the bowl clattering loudly as she cries out, finally reaching her climax.

Her vision goes white, and her heart pounds heavily against her chest, like it’s fighting for a way out of her body, and she feels weightless as her cunt tightens unforgivingly against Ben’s fingers.

His fingers slow, then, her hips moving against them rhythmically as she rides out her orgasm, his thumb still rubbing slow, pulsing deliberately on her clit as wave after wave of pleasure rocks her body with tremors. Her throaty moans—to Ben’s absolute satisfaction—echo loudly throughout the room as she comes down from her high.

She’s not quite as loud as the whistle of the kettle, though, screaming as the water bubbles and boils, filling the air around them with a thick steam.

Ben’s hand doesn’t leave her cunt as he reaches over to flick the burner off, his eyes filled with want, with need, and glued to hers.

Rey smirks, breathing heavily as she surveys the mess of sugar on the floor, before meeting his eyes as he takes his fingers from her.

“So did you still want that tea?” Her voice is all breath and rasp, and it does things to Ben that he isn’t sure anyone has ever done to him before.

She looks at him expectantly, and he frowns.

“ _Fuck the tea,_ ” He rasps out. “And the coffee too, for that matter.”

She laughs then, winding her arms around the back of his neck, and pulling him in for a heated kiss, before leaning away just a touch, her nose lined up with his.

“I’d rather fuck _you_ ,” She whispers in his ear, taking his earlobe in between her teeth. “If that’s something you’d be interested in.”

He groans, rough and throaty, and the sound curls her toes, and warms her chest.

“I think I’d like to taste you first.” He brings his come-covered hand to his mouth, sticking one finger in, and swirling his tongue around it until he pops it out of his mouth, clean. “Fuck. You’re delicious.”

Rey swallows, hard.

_That has to be the hottest thing I’ve ever seen._

Breathing heavily, she reaches her hand out, grabbing his wrist before he has the chance to clean the other fingers, bringing it closer to her face. 

Leaning forward, she looks up at him through her lashes, and licks her slick off of the second finger, twisting and turning her tongue around it, the bitter taste of her own fluids and his skin eliciting a small moan to bubble up from her throat.

Rey licks her lips. “Mmm, you’re right. I do taste delicious—especially on your fingers.”

She smirks at the heady desire in his eyes, and a strangled sound comes from Ben’s throat while he watches her slide the third finger past her plump lips. She gives it the same treatment as the one before: taking the whole of it in her mouth, sucking lightly before she pulls it out.

“But you know, I think I’d taste even better on your cock.” Rey purrs, grinning widely when she glances down to see Ben’s cock straining against his pants.

“Mmm. Well, we’d better find out for sure. Y’know. _For science._ ” He growls lowly, sliding his hands up the sides of her thighs until he’s half-cupping her ass.

He shoots Rey a smile before he effortlessly lifts her off the counter in one smooth movement, her legs wrapping around his hips as his hands firmly support her from underneath.

The feeling of her wet cunt pressing against the soft red flannel shirt, while the smooth, pliant leather of his jacket rests under her legs is a warring sensation like no other, and it sends chills prickling over her skin.

She snickers, grinning at the playful look in his eye. “For science, indeed.”

Rey winds her arms around Ben’s neck, her fingers finding his hair again, and she lets out a satisfied hum as she toys with it, reveling in the blissed-out look on Ben’s face.

Ben squeezes her ass then, and she lets out a surprised squeak, before groaning at the feel of his large, wide hands gripping her skin, spanning the entirety of her thighs, his fingers curving well up the sides of them.

She squirms in his grasp, and when Rey’s dripping sex brushes up against his shirt, her hands reflexively tighten in his hair. Evidently, he likes that, if his loud moan is anything to go off of.

“Fuck, Rey, do that again.” He growls, and she does just that, coiling her fingers in his locks, awed by the softness of his hair as she feels it in her grasp, and she pulls his head to the side, making him bear his neck to her.

Slowly, she brings her lips up to the skin there, kissing gently at first, but when he moans, deep and rough in her ear, she peppers kisses along his neck with renewed fervor, licking and nipping his skin as she works her way back up to his mouth, where she claims his lips with hers.

Ben doesn't think he'll ever get tired of the taste of her lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks you all sooooo much for sticking with me on this roller coaster ride! We're nearing the end, and as the third and final chapter is already written, I will be releasing it later this week!  
> To everyone to has left kudos, read, and commented on my humble fic, I thank you from the bottom of my heart!! Comments are my lifeblood, and they are huge part of my inspiration to write!
> 
> You are all truly the best. ❤❤❤


	3. Part III: Thy Mug Steepeth Over

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The conclusion to The Steepening, in which the percolating tension between Rey and Ben finally boils over. (Content Warning: Smut)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

Ben thinks he might die and go to heaven. 

Rey is the epitome of perfection in the way she’s kissing him, her mouth soft but demanding as it presses against his, her tongue dancing sensually along the seam of his lips, dipping past to tangle with his own.

He moans into her mouth, and she pulls back, lightly brushing her nose against his as pure want swirls darkly in her hazel eyes.

“Down the hall, second door on the right.” She says, quiet, as she mindlessly twirls his hair in her fingers.

“Uh, what?” Ben breathes out, his eyebrows coming together in a frown, and Rey giggles at his confusion.

“It’s the way to the bedroom, Smart Guy.”

And Ben doesn’t need to be told twice.

His thumbs massage the backs of her thighs while he makes the brisk walk down the hallway, ignoring the collage of colourful tea boxes framed on her wall, and quickly turning into her bedroom.

Flicking on the light, he smiles down at her, very aware of the fact that her wetness is slowly seeping through his shirt. He gingerly lowers her down on the bed, and she spreads her legs for him as he leans over her.

She reaches down, her hand brushing over the outline of his hard length as she smoothly undoes the button on his pants.

“You’re beautiful.” He murmurs, and her movements freeze as her eyes flick up to his, a warmth in them that he hadn’t expected to see.

“Nobody’s told me that in a very long time.” She whispers, smiling softly at him as she traces the outline of his dick with her nimble little fingers. 

Ben shivers, her words igniting a protectiveness in him, a desire to make sure she knows how she deserves to be treated—and it’s nothing short of adulation, in his opinion.

“That’s a travesty,” He says, pulling away to shrug off his leather jacket, dropping it on the floor before going to work on the buttons of his red flannel shirt, slowly popping each one open as he holds her eyes in an intense, yet gentle stare.

“You deserve to be told every day how breathtaking you are…your smell, your eyes, your voice; all of you. You’re a veritable masterpiece.”

Her eyes are wide, warm, and wet with unshed tears as she slides a hand down to her sex, tracing her clit with her finger as he finishes unbuttoning his shirt, throwing it to join his jacket on the ground.

“I…thank you,” Warmth fills her chest as she watches his eyes, how they linger on her legs, her core, her everything. “You’re one to talk, you know.” She roves her gaze over his newly de-clothed form with a keen eye.

Rey knew he was muscly—she’d gathered as much from her time not-so-secretly palming at him on the motorcycle, but she wasn’t quite expecting him to be this... _built_.

She smiles as he reaches forward to collect the tear that’d slipped out at his words, his large hand cupping the entire side of her face; tender in a way that nobody’s ever shown her before.

The man might be all corded muscle and hard edges on the outside, but on the inside…he’s soft, and kind. Gentle, even.

“I mean it, you know.” He whispers, leaning forward to capture her lips in a feather soft kiss, the depth of emotion he already feels for this woman pouring through their physical connection.

Rey brings her thumbs forward to hook through his belt loops, smiling against his lips. She feels his honesty through the kiss, his lips plush and intent as they move against hers.

Despite knowing him for less than a day, she feels an attachment to him that she can’t quite explain—she wasn’t usually one to believe in soulmates, or love at first sight…but Ben might change her mind about that.

She chuckles to herself.

_Well, maybe more like love at first fight._

“So do I.” She says, biting her bottom lip as his eyes travel down her body, tracing the skin on her shoulder before his hands move to tug at the hem of her shirt, a question lingering silently in the air.

She raises her arms, letting him tug the tank top over her head before he tosses it to join the pile of clothes on the hardwood floor.

Ben’s eyes turn back to her, half propped up on her elbows, clad in only a jade green lace bralette, and her wide, heart-stopping smile.

She makes quick work of the lacy undergarment, tossing it to the side as she bares herself to him, fully naked.

She is glorious.

He takes in her pert breasts, the smooth, creamy skin slightly lighter than the rest of her, while her pink nipples pebble from the cool air in the room. Letting his eyes wander, he quirks a smile at the smattering of freckles across her shoulders and chest. They paint her skin into a constellation map—one he desperately wants to memorize.

He watches as Rey arranges her braid back over her shoulder, over the smooth skin he’d been aching to see, to feel. He traces the length of it with the pad of his thumb.

“I’d like to braid your hair sometime.” He says absently, not quite realizing he’d said it out loud, until he sees the flush climbing to cover her chest, her cheeks, her ears.

“You want to— _yes._ Absolutely. That is, as long as I get to braid yours, too.” She says with a wink before sitting up to trail her hands down his waist, settling them on the waistband of his pants.

_Rey wants to braid my hair? Now that's a thought._

But his thoughts are interrupted when he taps her fingers against the rough material. “These have got to go, Good Sir.”

He nods, letting her push them down, over the curve of his ass and down his legs, where he kicks them off, leaving him in nothing but his black boxer briefs.

Rey bites her lip, glancing up at him from her place on the bed while she trails a finger over his hardness, currently straining against the thin undergarment.

“Those, too.”

Ben groans at the feel of her fingers digging into his waist as she pulls his boxers down, his cock springing free as they hit the floor.

For a moment, neither of them move, both stunned into silence at the other, lost in the expanse of skin, and the heady feeling of need floating through the air.

Rey blinks down at his cock, taken aback by the sheer size of it. “Jesus, you’re _huge_.” Rey breathes, genuinely wondering if she’ll be able to take it all.

She forgets about that, though, when Ben brings a knee up onto the side of the bed, his roughened hand resting on her shoulder as he pushes her down onto the bed. Looming over her, he brings his fingers up to slide over her breast, cupping it before taking her nipple in between his fingers, a fire burning through him at the answering sound that comes out of Rey’s mouth—a sweet, high keen that leaves him yearning for more.

“Lick it.” 

Her voice is demanding, pleading, and breathless, all at once, and Ben quickly obliges, leaning his wide body over hers, dwarfing it as he sucks her nipple into his mouth, swirling his tongue around it, groaning into her skin when she clasps a handful of his hair, her body arching up into his touch.

His cock brushes up against her core, and it sends sparks flying across her skin, eliciting a sharp gasp from her lips, and a low moan from him.

“I need you inside me—please, Ben.” She rasps out, raking her fingers down his back, as hips grind against hers, causing heat to pool deep in her belly.

Ben takes her nipple in between his teeth, teasing lightly, before kissing his way up over her shoulders, to her neck, and finally back to her lips.

“Do I need a condom?” He asks between kisses, moaning into her mouth when she skims her hands over his ass.

“Nope, on the pill.” She breathes, dragging her fingers back up over his rib cage as he shifts his position, sitting up on his knees; surveying her naked form like it was a glass of cool water, and he was stranded in a sweltering desert.

He ghosts his hands over her skin, gripping her hip with one hand as he lines himself up with her entrance with the other.

“Mmmm, I can’t wait to feel you come around my cock, Rey.” He groans out.

Her breath hitches in her lungs at his words, and at the sight of him, so much larger than she is—and _oh, god_ —his hands _do_ nearly span all the way around her hips.

She bites her lip as he teases her entrance with his cockhead, collecting her wetness to spread over his length.

A wicked thought occurs to her then, and she can’t help herself when she reaches for her headboard, grabbing a bottle of lube, and offering it to Ben.

“If I’m not wet enough, we could always use this.” She says, knowing full-well she is more than wet enough. She grins wickedly when he takes the bottle from her hands, frowning as he reads the words scrawled across it.

_‘The Slippy Leaf: Personal Lubricant with 100% Green Tea Extract’_

Rey snickers as he flattens his lips into a thin line before tossing the plastic bottle onto the pile of clothes by the foot of the bed.

“Now you’re just being cheeky,” He growls, pushing the head of his cock into her cunt, only to pull it back out, teasing it along her slit.

“ _Ahhh_ —I’m not sorry, I just couldn’t let the opportunity— _oooohhh_ —slip by.” She moans out as he teases her.

“Is nothing sacred?” He chuckles then, his eyes dark as he pushes himself into her again, further this time. “Well, you might not be sorry now, but you will be in a little bit.”

He grins wickedly, and Rey’s eyes roll back into her head, her cunt stretched wide and filled to the brim with his cock, and she finds herself pressing her hips up to have more of that feeling, more of him.

But his hands quickly half her movements, pressing her against the bed, pinning her there as he sets a torturously slow pace, barely sliding in and out as she attempts to writhe against him, to create some sort of friction to ease the ache in her core.

Rey groans out in frustration, her hand snaking down to rub at her clit, only to be stopped dead in its tracks by Ben’s much larger one.

“Do I have to hold your arms hostage again, or are you going to behave?” He murmurs, and holy fuck, if she wasn’t turned on before, she sure as hell is now.

He slides his cock further inside her, and she whimpers at the shadow of pleasure licking heat against her insides, knowing she won’t get what she wants as he slows his movements, grinding against her in slow, unbearably pleasurable circles.

“ _Ahh_ —Kinky. I can roll with that.” She pants, fisting the sheets in her hands as a low chuckle rumbles through his chest. 

“Answer the question, Rey.” He twists his hips as he pushes forward, causing his cock to push against that damn spot inside her, and all her playfulness flies out the window.

“ _Oooohhh my god._ ” Her eyes briefly roll back in her head, as Ben smirks above her, bringing his thumb down ghost over he clit. 

She bucks into his hand then, pushing herself further onto his dick. “I’ll be good for you, so good. Just please, I need you, all of you.” She breathes, her voice husky as her darkened eyes stare him down, waiting for him to make a move. 

He pushes into her again, harder this time, and when she lets out a groan that’s equal parts bliss and frustration, he decides he’s teased her enough. 

In all honesty, he’s worried if he keeps it up he won’t last very much longer, and that just won’t do.

With another thrust of his hips, he sheathes himself in her completely, the wet slap of her skin against his sending a spike of heat up his spine.

“Oh, fuck, you— _ungh—_ you’re so tight, Rey _.”_ He growls out, his grip tightening on her hips as she wraps her legs around him, bringing him deeper inside her.

“Christ, Ben, I feel you stretching me.” She says between heavy breaths as she twists her hips, grinding into him. Rey doesn’t think she’s ever felt this full in all her life. It’s a strange sensation, but one that leaves her feeling breathless, and needy for more. 

With her eyes trained on Ben, she moves her hands to run over his chest, sliding across the hard, flexing muscles, and over his nipples on their way down, causing his cock to twitch inside her.

Her breath hitches on her throat, and Ben lets out a low grunt. 

“ _Ahh, shit!_ If you keep doing that, this is gonna be over a lot faster than either of us want it to be, Sweetheart.” He slowly starts to move then, groaning at the way her cunt wraps around his length, squeezing it like it’s a lifeline. 

“Sweetheart, huh?” She teases, moving her hips up to meet his, twisting and grinding them with every noisy meeting of their skin. 

Ben blinks, clearly not realizing he’d called her that. Letting out a low chuckle, he grins as he picks up the speed of his thrusts, angling her hips up as he drives in to her.

“What, would you prefer I call you Sweet-tea instead?” 

“I— _Christ almighty_ —so long as you don’t call me your little coffee bean, or some rubbish like that, we’ll be golden.” She moans out, that familiar tightness beginning to wind and curl in the pit of her belly as Ben rams his cock into her with renewed speed, each thrust brushing her upper walls in that spot that pulls strings of frantic curses, and breathy moans of _‘yes'_ , _‘harder'_ , and _‘please'_ from Rey’s lips. 

“No promises.” He groans, snaking a hand over her breast, and palming it, before letting his hand slide back to her core, gently rubbing smooth circles in her clit.

Rey sucks in a breath of air when she feels the telltale thundering of her heart in her ears, and the familiar quivering in her thighs as she locks them around his torso, tipping her hips further up to give him more access.

Reaching a hand up to her nipples, she pinches and rolls them between her fingers as Ben increases the pressure of his thumb on her clit, and she can feel herself rapidly nearing the edge. 

“ _Fuck_ , Ben, I’m right there, I’m so close.” She murmurs, her hips bucking against his more erratically as she feels the white hot pleasure curl and twist in her belly, growing tighter and tighter as Ben slams into her at just the right angle, just the right spot.

“Yes, please, Sweetheart, come for me. I want to feel your cunt spasm around my cock; see your face when you fall over the edge.” He growls, his voice lower than she’s ever heard it, gravelly and desperate as he whispers his wants and needs to her.

“Bloody hell, you’ve got a filthy mouth.” She keens, writhing against him now, desperate to feel some sort of release, teetering just at the edge as he leans down, bringing his mouth to the side of her neck to pepper it with kisses.

“But you like it that way,” He breathes into her ear, drawing out a whimper from her throat as he nips the skin there, his cock unrelenting as it grinds into her. “Now, be a good girl for me, and drown my cock in your come.” 

The growl of his voice against her neck is the pin that unravels her, sending her into one of the most powerful orgasms she’s ever had as her back bows.

She lets loose a ragged, vocal cry that puts a wide grin on Ben’s face as he continues his unyielding movements into her, his thumb still wreaking absolute havoc on the little bud at her apex, sending Rey into a fit of aftershocks that feel nearly as powerful as the first, and she can’t help the strangled moans that fall from her mouth.

“Oh, yes, Rey. _God yes_ , you’re such a good girl for me. Such a good girl.”

The words make Rey preen as her orgasm begins to wind down, and when Ben groans into the skin of her neck, she knows he’s not too far behind her.

She lightly drags her nails up Ben’s back, satisfaction burning through her when he groans brokenly into her ear—but that sound is nothing, not compared to the one he makes as she fists her hands in his hair, pulling firmly at the strands at the base of his neck.

The pressure against the base of his skull causes something in Ben to snap, and he moans deeply, the elastic band snapping in his gut as he releases into her with a feral growl, one that sends shivers dancing across Rey’s skin.

Careful not to settle his weight on her, he collapses onto his elbows, his head buried in the crook of her neck, inhaling her delicious, spicy smell as he comes down from his high, revelling in the contented moan that vibrates against his ear, the lazy fingers that trail through his hair.

“Where are your washcloths?” He mumbles brokenly, entirely spent, and completely blissed out as he lifts his head up to meet her gaze. 

Rey smiles softly at him, tracing one of her hands from the nape of his neck, down to his cheekbone. Reverently, gently, in a way that makes Ben’s heart stutter in his chest.

“The closet right outside my bedroom door, to the right.” She says, immediately missing his warmth, the weight of his body on hers, the feel of his hands against her skin as he rises from the bed, his cock still hard as he makes quick strides towards the closet.

Her eyes follow him hungrily, sliding down the rippling muscles of his back, down to his round, firm ass. She hums appreciatively to herself, basking in the afterglow. 

_Giving this man a chance might just be the best thing I’ve ever done._

Rey hears Ben open and close the closet door, his feet thumping and against the creaky hardwood floor as he heads to the bathroom to wet the cloth, at least, that’s what she assumes. 

She smiles to herself. To think that at the start of her day, she truly though that Rose and Poe were absolutely bonkers for—

Rey’s eyes go wide, then, and as Ben walks back into the room, she covers them with a groan at the realization that plagues her mind. 

Ben stops dead in his tracks, his own eyes widening at her perceived distress, before jogging over with wet washcloth in hand. 

“Is everything okay?” He asks, panic evident in his voice.

_I must have done something. Maybe she’s hurt. She probably regrets—_

Then, her bell-chime giggle bursts from her lips, and the sound snaps Ben out of his spiralling self-doubt.

“I just realized we’re both going to have to deal with Poe being a pompous arse about this…about, erm, _us._ ” She says, her cheeks dusting pink as Ben settles himself at the end of the bed, between her legs.

He frowns, not having come to that realization either…not until just now, that is.

“Can I dibs out of that interaction? Because I want to dibs out of it.” He mumbles, before taking the warm washcloth, and bringing it to rest over her sex.

“You absolutely cannot _‘dibs out'_. If I have to endure his supreme assholery, then so do you!” She smiles, wide and beautiful, and Ben can’t help when his own lips lift at the corners.

“Fine,” He tenderly smooths the damp cloth over her, cleaning the remnants of their passion from her skin.

Rey sighs under his touch. She truly doesn’t think anyone’s ever done this for her…but for some reason, she’s glad he’s the one to be the first.

His hands rest on her bent knee for leverage, and he gingerly folds the washcloth over before bringing it down to her inner thighs.

“You don’t have to do that, you know.” She says, absolutely unconvincing as she sighs the words into the air.

Ben chuckles, shooting her a goofy half smile that makes her chest flutter. 

“Maybe not, but I'd like to,” His thumb traces the side of her kneecap as he works the cloth over her once more. “Besides, it gives me a good excuse to touch you more.” He smirks.

“I think I can probably live with that,” Rey says, her word becoming strained as she stretches her arms up and over her head. “But when you’re done, I’d like it if you let me clean you off as well.”

Ben frowns, glancing down at his mostly hard cock, which is still glistening with a mixture of their cum.

He looks back up at her, confused at the want in her eyes. 

“Sure. I don’t mind.” He says, sliding up beside her on the bed, careful not to get the sticky mess on her sheets.

He tries to hand her the washcloth, but she refuses it, lifting herself up to rest on her elbows instead.

“I told you I wanted to taste myself off your cock, remember?” She quirks an eyebrow, smirking at the way Ben's throat bobs, the way his eyes linger on her mouth.

He clears his throat. “Yes, I do remember that,” He trails off, his voice husky as Rey crooks a finger at him.

“Hop on up then, and let me clean you off.” Rey purrs, and Ben doesn’t waste any time hopping back up to straddle her shoulders.

He looks down at her, so small and delicate under his hulking form, and the sight does things to him. Delicious things that make his stomach flip, and his throat go dry.

But those feelings are nothing compared to when she flattens her tongue against his skin, dragging it from the base of his shaft, and licking up, up, up to the tip, where she pops his length in her mouth, cleaning every part of him she can reach.

Ben watches her with focused, pleasure-blurred eyes as she slowly— _oh god, so slowly_ —runs her tongue over him, alternating between bringing his dick past her lips, and gently lathing up and down its length. 

The way she cleans him, with slow, careful movements, is as relaxing as it is amazing, and when she pulls back to look at him, he finds he can’t help the adoration that he knows is gleaming in his eyes.

“Mmmm. Definitely more delicious off of your cock,” She says with a grin, before her eyes go back to his length, frowning as she grips the shaft, lifting it up. “Huh. Missed a spot.” She mutters, her eyes dark with mischief as she leans back in, taking one of Ben’s balls in her mouth.

He groans then, her tongue gingerly licking the sensitive skin there, before moving along to the other one, and giving it the same treatment.

Ben chuckles softly, revelling in the feel of her mouth on him. “Of course you’d be into tea-bagging.” He groans out, earning a mirthful laugh as she finishes licking him clean.

“Oh, shove off, you liked it. Don’t think I didn’t see your eyes roll back in your head, because _I did._ ” She grins at him as he brings a leg over her body, shifting back down the bed until his face is level with hers.

“Oh, I wasn’t complaining. That was magnificent.” He murmurs into her ear, before opening his arms to her, hoping he wasn’t overstepping boundaries by wanting to hold her. 

He can’t help the wide, toothy grin that spreads across his lips as she obliges as she tucks her lithe body into his, her head coming to rest in the crook of his shoulder while her arms wind around his torso, her legs tangling with his.

She sighs contentedly, preening when he hums into the crown of her head, like having her in his arms is the final puzzle piece clicking into place.

Little does she know, it absolutely is. Ben doesn’t think he’s ever been so enamoured with someone before, and having Rey in his arms just feels all kinds of right. From the way she hooks her leg around his, to the way she sighs against the skin of his chest, absently trailing lazy circles down his arm…for the first time in his life, he feels like he’s home.

“I think I could get used to this.” She whispers quietly, nuzzling into Ben’s chest as he trails his hand up and down her back.

“Mmm,” Ben hums, and she feels the vibration of it through his chest, a deep, relaxing thrum that makes Rey feel entirely at peace. “I couldn’t agree more.” He says, kissing the top of her head, so gently, so tenderly, that Rey thinks she’ll melt.

Rey feels her skin prickle when he glides his fingers up to the back of her neck, tracing the line of her now disheveled braid, but suddenly, his movements stop, and he adjusts himself so that they’re face to face, nose to nose. So close she can practically taste him.

Cradling her head in his hand, he leans in, brushing his lips against hers in a whisper-sweet kiss that sends the butterflies in Rey’s stomach into a frenzy.

 _I wonder…would she let me? Or would it be too weird?_ He thinks. 

When Ben pulls back, Rey notices there’s hesitation in his gaze, and as far as she’s concerned, there will be absolutely none of that. Especially not after the wild, beautiful, passionate time they’ve shared together.

“Something bothering you, Love?” She says the words before she can think about them, and when his lips curve in a gentle smile, she laughs nervously. “Hey, if you’re allowed Sweetheart, then I’m allowed Love. It’s the rules.” She playfully nudges her nose with his, and his answering chuckle widens her smile.

“I’ll allow it,” He grins then, reaching a hand up to brush a stray hair behind her ear, lingering there before his tongue darts out to nervously lick at his lips.

_Oh fuck it, what do I have to lose._

“I’d mentioned it earlier, but I was wondering,” He clears his throat. Do you— _ah_ , that is, would you let me braid your hair?”

His words are hesitant, almost self-conscious, and Rey blinks, absolutely not expecting that question to have fallen from his lips.

However, the very idea of it has blood rushing up to her cheeks, and a pleasant heat licking at her skin. 

Ben waits with bated breath, and when she nods her head, he lets out a quiet breath of relief.

“That might be the most swoon-worthy thing you’ve said to me yet, Ben Solo.” She smiles before sitting up, her nakedness on full display as she hops off the bed, her hips swaying as she quickly walks to the bathroom.

Ben stares unabashedly at her, at the way she moves. She’s confident—radiant in a way that makes him wonder why she said yes to him. She could have the pick of anyone she wanted, but instead she chose him.

And that fills Ben’s chest with a flickering warmth he’s not felt in a long time.

As Rey saunters back in the room, her eyes lock onto his, and her breath catches in her lungs at the emotion she sees in their depths.

She really likes the way he looks at her, his dark eyes all soft, full of adoration and awe. His heated gaze makes her feel like she’s a work of art, something precious to behold, and if the fluttering heat in her belly is any indicator, she likes it a lot.

Quickly seating herself at the edge of the bed, her blood runs electric with anticipation when she feels Ben’s weight dip the mattress, his warmth radiating onto her skin as he slides closer, his strong legs appearing on either side of hers as he wraps his arms around her waist, inhaling the skin at her neck.

He envelops her completely, his body, his scent, his breath, and she loves every bit of it. 

Ben grins against her neck, planting a gentle kiss there before he reaches a hand up to the end of her braid, carefully pulling the elastic out, and setting in Rey’s hands.

“Thanks for letting me do this.” He mumbles in her ear, untangling his arms from her torso, only to thread his fingers into the messy braid, gently unwinding the sections of hair from each other.

Rey hums, the feel of him working through her hair sending her into a dazed, relaxed state, where the only things that matter are the sound of his concentrated breath, and the feel of his dexterous fingers massaging her scalp.

“Oh, pretty sure I’m the one who should be thanking you,” Rey says with a breathy laugh. “This has got to be the best post-sex experience I’ve ever had in my whole life.” 

He hums appreciatively before grabbing the brush, carefully running it through her tangled locks, slowly, so that he can gently work through any knots he comes across—of which there were many, thanks to his stunt with the coffee earlier.

“That…I’m glad.” He murmurs quietly, running a hand delicately over a section of her hair, marvelling at the smoothness of it, admiring the glint of amber that shines through her chestnut locks when the sun shines over them.

He smiles to himself. Rey might as well be the sun herself. Warm, bright, full of fire and zest for life…and far too quickly cementing her place as the center of his universe.

Ben begins at the top of Rey’s part, separating her hair into thin pieces before he starts to weave them together, his fingers moving with a nostalgic, practiced ease as he works his way down the side of her head, confident and sure in his movements.

Ben smiles, fond memories of his mom and grandma teaching him to braid their hair when he was a little boy playing like a scene through his mind. It’d become a sort of ritual when he was younger—one he took advantage of at every opportunity to spend time with the women in his life.

He’d mastered about every braid in the book for them. His favourite though, was the French fishtail braid, a plait that took a decent amount of patience and dexterity to pull off well.

Coincidentally, his mother’s favourite, as well.

His lips curve in a soft smile, and somewhere he knows the significance of choosing this particular braid, the weight it carries in his heart.

Rey sighs softly, absolutely hypnotized by the gentle, easy way he works through her hair, his calloused fingers twisting and tugging the strands around the base of her skull in a skillful way that makes her skin prickle, and her toes curl.

“Christ, Ben, this is heavenly.” She says, her voice low as he shifts his position, bringing his hand to tilt her head to where he needs it be. “Have you done this before?”

She’s no expert on hair—but she knows he’s not twisting your everyday plain-Jane braid in her hair, that’s for damn sure.

Ben chuckles then, his movements never faltering as he works his way down the length of her hair, his skin constantly brushing against hers, sending warm spikes of heat down his spine.

His tongue pokes out of the corner of his mouth as he focuses on the end of the braid—it's always been the hardest part for him. Though his fingers were nimble, they’d always struggle with the thin ends of hair.

But he wants to impress her, wants her to see how much effort he’d be willing to put into their relationship—his stomach flutters—if a relationship with him is something that she wants.

He really fucking hopes it is.

Reaching around to gently pluck the elastic from Rey’s hand, his arm brushes against her naked belly, and _god_ if it doesn’t reinforce the fact that Ben is actually taking the time and effort to re-braid her hair after it’d been mussed up amidst their love-making.

She grins at the thought, nibbling her bottom lip as he finishes tying her hair off, softly laying it back over her shoulder before tracing his fingers down the length of it, then back up to her chin, coaxing her to look at him.

Rey lets him, smiling widely when he plants a soft peck on her lips.

“All done.” He says against her mouth, a smile of his own revealing the dimples in his cheeks as he leans back, taking a moment to admire his handiwork. With a satisfied nod, he nudges her lower back, and she hops off the bed.

“Can I…can I go look?” She says, bouncing on her heels with anticipation, smirking when Ben’s eyes fall straight to her chest. 

He clears his throat, eyes snapping back up to hers. “Y-yes. Please do.” He mumbles, his face flushed as she quickly bounds out of the room, an extra spring to her step that makes him chuckle.

Rey wonders what her hair looks like. Whatever he’d done felt like absolute perfection on her skull, but she had her doubts about whether or not he’d actually done something, well, presentable.

She smiles to herself as she rounds the corner. At this point, it didn’t matter if her hair looked like a rat’s nest, she’d love it. The look on his face after he’d finished had cemented that—she would endure the rattiest of hairstyles to see that expression once more time.

His eyes alight with pride, happiness, reverence—and that little self-satisfied smile that melted her insides…worth it. _Absolutely_ worth it.

Ben follows Rey into the bathroom, and when he sees her standing there, all expression gone from her face, her mouth dropped in a little ‘o’. His gut twists with nervousness, and briefly, he wonders if it didn’t really look that good after all.

But then, she blinks, bringing her hand up to ghost over his work as she turns her head back and forth.

Whatever Rey had been expecting from Ben, it sure as hell wasn’t this. Her hair looks like it’d been professionally done, a clearly complex, perfectly plaited braid that he’d woven from the crown of her head, over and around the base of her skull to drape over her shoulder on the other side.

“You…this…” She finds herself at a loss for words, opening and closing her mouth like a fish out of water.

“If you don’t like it, I won’t be—”

Rey whirls on his then, shaking her head frantically as she tries to make the words come out of her mouth.

“No, no! Ben, this is _beautiful_. I love it.”

He releases a breath he wasn’t aware he was holding as he walks over to her, wrapping his arms around her small frame before tucking his chin in the crook of her neck, watching her with tender eyes through the mirror.

“Yeah?” He rumbles against her skin.

Rey grins, laughing softly as she continues to marvel at Ben’s handiwork. “Absolutely. I could never get my hair to look this perfect.”

She turns in his arms then, winding her own around the back of his neck, stretching up on tip-toes to plant a soft kiss on his lips.

“I don’t think I’d ever get tired of that,” She swoons, resting her head against his chest. “I wish you could do my hair every morning.”

Ben chuckles then, resting his chin on her head, careful not to upset his newly finished masterpiece.

“I’d like that. Morning coffee brewing, my fingers threading through your hair. Mm. Perfection.”

Rey scoffs a laugh. “The second part, absolutely yes. The coffee, though, we’ll have to have a chat about that.”

“Well it’s not going to be tea, I’ll tell you that right now.” Ben smirks, bringing a hand up to trace the side of her face.

She smiles at his tone, all tease and no temper—so different than when they’d had their ridiculous stand-off in the coffee shop.

“I can’t believe we’re actually bickering over this right now,” Ben chides, running the tip of his thumb back and forth on her cheek. “Like we’ll actually see each other every morning.”

The thought in Ben’s mind is all-encompassing, and the idea of being able to wake up next to Rey…even if she made sludge-water every morning, or put tea in a bowl to make it smell like god knows what in their home, he finds he doesn’t hate the thought of it.

He rather likes it, actually.

“Mmm, paints a rather nice picture, though, doesn’t it?” Rey sighs, placing her hand over his, absolutely beaming at the thought. To be able to spend time with this man every day…she thinks it’d be worth every cup of coffee she’d have to endure, twice over.

And, they would find, it would be.

Six months later, when they’d move in together, Rey would have her tea corner, and Ben his coffee counter. They’d spend their days wrapped in each other’s arms, always bickering with each other about seemingly meaningless things, but never with any real malice.

They’d go to games night with Rose and Finn, and Poe would tag along too, if only to gloat for the hundredth time about how he’d brought the two together, and some other nonsense about enemies-to-lovers, or something equally idiotic.

Ben would roll his eyes, and Rey would shoot her friend that _look_ , the one that told him to shut up before she made him. But then, they’d find each other; get lost in each other’s stares, revel in the crackling tension, the tender love that always enveloped them.

And they’d fall for each other all over again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaand that's a wrap!✨
> 
> Ahh, my very first completed fic! 😭❤ I feel so accomplished! Haha.  
> A very special thank you to [LauraNightingale](https://archiveofourown.org/works/22460983/chapters/53669302), who was the beta for this wild ride of a fic, and created the stunning moodboard that went along with it.  
> Laura, thank you for all the encouragement, suggestions, and laughs!! I genuinely enjoy working with you, and couldn't ask for a better writing buddy! ❤
> 
> And thank you to each and every one of you readers who commented, bookmarked, subscribed, and gave kudos to my humble soap opera of a fic! 😂  
> I appreciate every last one of you more than I can say. You comments have literally put such huge smiles on my face, and I treasure each and every one!  
> I hope you've enjoyed reading this gong-show as much as I enjoyed writing it!
> 
> Much love to you all, and until next time! ❤


End file.
